§ Mr. WRIGHTasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware of the prevalence of contagious abortion in dairy herds; and what, if any, steps are being taken by him to investigate the causes and to prevent the spreading of this disease?
§ Sir R. WINFREYThe fact that contagious abortion exists in many parts of the country is well known to the Board. Its nature and cause have been very fully investigated in this and other countries. Considerable information on the subject may be found in the Report and Evidence of the Departmental Committee on Epizootic Abortion, 1905–1913. The conclusions of that Committee have since been amply confirmed. The steps taken by the Board to hold the disease in check are at the present time practically confined to the issue of a vaccine which enables owners of infected herds to immunise their animals against it and eventually free their herds from infection. Advice is also given by means of lectures, leaflets, and correspondence on this and alternative methods of dealing with the disease.