§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department's veterinary investigation service will make investigations into whether the cause of death on 1 December 1986 of the horse Gamble, stabled at Ponsworthy in Devon, was botulism.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: Inquiries have revealed that this 679W horse was destroyed on 1 December after a period of illness, that no clinical diagnosis was made and that no specimens from the horse were submitted to the Ministry's laboratories for analysis.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the incidence of botulism amongst livestock since the introduction of big bale silage; what is the difference between the big bale silage and Horse Hage; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: Information is not available on the incidence of botulism amongst livestock since the introduction of big bale silage. The difference between big bale silage and Horse Hage is that the latter is vacuum packed in plastic bags.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his reply of 12 February 1987, whether any horses have died as a result of contracting botulism which have not been recorded by his Department's laboratories.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: Since botulism is not a notifiable disease the Ministry does not have information on any cases where no diagnosis was sought from the veterinary investigation service by a private practitioner.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in the light of information supplied to him by the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe, he has anything to add to his answer of 12 February on another horse alleged to have eaten the same fodder as the horses which died.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: I have nothing to add to my answer of 12 February.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, further to his reply of Thursday 12 February 1987, what information he has as to how much time both horses which were destroyed spent stabled at Widecombe-in-the-Moor.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: I have no information as to how long the horses had been stabled at these premises.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received concerning the supply in Devon and Cornwall of Horse Hage fodder by Westway and Sons; what information he has received that such fodder is or may be a cause of botulism in horses; what action he has taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: No representations other than those from my hon. Friend the Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe have been received about the supply of fodder in Devon and Cornwall. The results of tests so far on samples of the fodder have proved negative.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any information as to why Westway and Sons has withdrawn 4,000 bales of Horse Hage and offered to buy back Horse Hage supplied to horse owners; and if he will reconsider his decision not to advise the feed merchant and horse owners about this matter.
680W
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: Any action taken concerning the supply of Horse Hage is a matter for the company concerned. I do not consider that it would be appropriate to advise the feed merchant and horse owners about this matter.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek to obtain the articles about botulism in horses and other livestock by the veterinary surgeon Mr. Ricketts of Newmarket and published in recent months in the Veterinary Record and elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: The Ministry's state veterinary service is aware of the articles about botulism written by Mr. Ricketts and published in the Veterinary Record and elsewhere.
§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make botulism a notifiable disease when contracted (a) by horses or (b) by other livestock; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 16 February 1987, c. 484]: Botulism does not exhibit the well established criteria for making a disease notifiable. In particular, it is not contagious and there is no risk of infection of other livestock by an affected animal.