§ Mr. PATRICK WHITEasked the President of the Board of Agriculture (1) whether he claims to have the authority to prevent the landing of healthy cattle from a healthy district in Ireland; and, if so, will he quote the Sub-section of what Section and of what Act empowers him to do so; (2) whether his Department has the power to control the movements of certified healthy animals in an area far removed from an infected district; if so, under what Section or Sub-section of what Section of what Act does he claim to derive the power; and if it was ever exercised, and, if so, how often in Great Britain?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANWith regard to the powers of the Board to regulate the movement of animals, I would refer to the answers given by the Prime Minister to similar questions addressed to him by the hon. Member on Monday last. So far as I am aware, no occasion has yet arisen for the Board to make an Order affecting any part of Great Britain similar to the Orders made last year temporarily prohibiting the landing of Irish animals in Great Britain.
§ PATRICK WHITEalso asked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he will state the Regulations under which cattle from Ireland were allowed into this country in each year in which there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland since the passing of the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1878, and the number imported and not slaughtered at the port of debarkation in the respective years up to the beginning of last year?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANPrior to last year I understand that there had been no outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland since 1884. I do not know what Regulations governed the movement of Irish cattle into great Britain in 1884 and in earlier years, when foot-and-mouth disease existed in Ireland, but I would point out that the methods used in those days for the suppression and prevention of the diseases were very different from those adopted recently, which were unanimously approved by the Departmental Committee last year, and that no useful1804W comparison can therefore be made. I will circulate with the Votes a table showing the number of Irish cattle imported into Great Britain in each year from 1879 to 1911 inclusive, but I have no information as to the number which were slaughtered at the ports of debarkation.
Number of Cattle Imported into Great Britain from Ireland, 1879 to 1911.
Year. Number. Year. Number. 1879 641,370 1896 681,560 1880 721,391 1897 746,012 1881 571,557 1898 803,362 1882 782,274 1899 772,272 1883 556,867 1900 745,519 1884 715,843 1901 642,638 1885 640,470 1902 959,241 1886 717,389 1903 897,645 1887 669,253 1904 772,363 1888 738,716 1905 749,131 1889 669,843 1906 775,374 1890 631,698 1907 841,973 1891 630,802 1908 861,670 1892 624,457 1909 837,426 1893 688,669 1910 867,930 1894 826,954 1911 694,828 1895 791,607