§ Viscount Lambtonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of the fact that Mr. R. Brewis contracted foot-and-mouth disease, if he will now reconsider his decision not to call an inquiry into the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Rothbury area of Northumberland last summer.
§ Viscount Lambtonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why no announcement was made last summer that Mr. R. Brewis had contracted foot-and-mouth disease so that extra precautions against the spreading of the disease could have been taken.
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§ Mr. PeartThis human case did not call for any announcement by me. All necessary precautions were taken against spread of the disease, and I am satisfied that the case did not affect the subsequent course of the outbreak.
§ Viscount Lambtonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department will repay the money promised to farmers for the assistance they gave in the burial and disposal of animals slaughtered during the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Northumberland this year.
§ Mr. PeartAll farmers who have submitted claims to the Ministry for assistance given during the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Northumberland have been paid.
§ Viscount Lambtonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the total sum of money paid by his Department to the firm of Seghill of Bedlington for the burial and disposal of animals suffering from foot-and-mouth disease in the outbreak in Northumberland last summer; and what was the average cost per animal for burial compared to the average cost in the last two major outbreaks in England.
§ Mr. PeartFor good reasons, it is not Government practice to give details of amounts paid to individual firms. We have not yet completed payments of all the incidental expenses incurred in this series of outbreaks, and it is not, therefore, possible to give the average cost per animal buried.