§ Mr. O'SHEEasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture if he will state by what authority and under what statutory provision it has been determined that the Regulations imposing a detention of two hours on Irish cattle at the port of shipment and ten hours at the port of landing in Great Britain shall be permanent; and whether it is open to the Board of Agriculture to return to the status quo which existed for over a quarter of a century prior to 1913?
§ Mr. ACLANDThe Order of the Board prescribing the detention of ten hours on cattle landed from Ireland was made under the authority of Section 22 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894. The Board have power to revoke the Order, but have no intention of exercising it,
§ Mr. CONDONasked the Vice-President of the Board of Agriculture (Ireland) whether, now that Ireland is and has been for three years free from foot-and-mouth or any other disease, he will remove the restrictions on the export of cattle imposed at the time when foot-and-mouth disease was prevalent, and thus relieve both the farmers and cattle dealers of Ireland from the inconvenience and loss caused by the restrictions?
§ Mr. RUSSELLThere are no restrictions at present in force in Ireland as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease out-934W breaks of 1912–1914. As regards the two hours period for observation, inspection, rest, and feeding at the Irish ports the Department, as intimated in reply to previous questions on the subject, are of opinion that, in view of the character of the inspection now required before animals are allowed to be shipped to Great Britain, this period of two hours must be maintained.
§ Mr. O'SHEEasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) whether he will consider the desirability of a fresh protest against the ten hours' detention of Irish cattle at British ports, and especially against the intention of the Board of Agriculture to make this arrangement permanent; whether he is aware that the opinion of agriculturists in Ireland is that it was the outbreak of war on the 4th August, 1914, which caused the alleged outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Ireland on the 17th July, 1914, to be the last outbreak alleged in the years 1913 and 1914; and whether any outbreak had been alleged for twenty-five years before 1913?
§ Mr. RUSSELLI would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to-day to the hon. Member for Clare (West) on the subject. The Department do not consider that there is any foundation for the allegation contained in the latter portion of the question. No outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease had occurred in Ireland for more than twenty-five years prior to the year 1912.