§ Mr. Buchanan-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland in respect of how many herds applications have been made for membership of the brucellosis eradication scheme; how many have passed the preliminary test; what proportion this represents of the total number of 235W herds; and if he will make a statement on the progress so far.
§ Mr. Ross:Up to 30th November, 1967, 965 applications have been received from herd owners in Scotland. Forty-three herds (4.5 per cent, of the applications received and 0.1 per cent. of the total number of herds in Scotland) have passed the preliminary qualifying tests but have still to undergo the official test. Herds passing the official test are eligible to be registered as accredited herds.
Progress in dealing with applications was satisfactory but has now been interrupted because of the need to divert staff to deal with the current outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. There will be some delay in dealing with existing applications; new applications cannot be dealt with until the present emergency is over.