Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will each year designate certain parts of Scotland as brucellosis clearance areas with sufficient compensation and restriction on the movement of livestock to ensure effective eradication with an annual extension of the area to cover eventually the whole country.
§ Mr. RossThe Government's policy on brucellosis was set out in the statement made to the House on 2nd Nevember, 1966, by my right hon. Friend who was Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at the time. When the Brucellosis (Accredited Herds) Scheme makes sufficient progress consideration will be given to area by area eradication. It is not possible, at present, to forecast when this stage will be reached; much will depend upon the number and geographical distribution of accredited herds as sources of replacement.—[Vol. 735, c.96–7.]
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Earl of Dalkeithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated annual cost to the agricultural industry in Soctland from brucellosis.
§ Mr. RossNo separate estimated cost for Scotland is available; but from a sample survey carried out in 1960–61 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food it was estimated that the direct economic loss from the disease in dairy herds in Great Britain was just over £1 million per annum.