Mr. G. MURRAYasked the Minister of Health whether he cancelled recently the licence granted to the Express Dairy Company to sell the milk they produce at their farm at Finchley as Grade A certified milk; if so, the date that such licence was cancelled and the grounds given to the Express Dairy Company for such action; if a new licence has now been given to the company, the date of such licence, and the reason why such a licence has been granted?
§ Sir A. MONDYes, Sir; the licence was revoked on the 4th July because the company had committed a breach of one of the conditions by retaining in the herd animals which had reacted to the tuberculin test, and had misinformed my Department as to the facts. I was subsequently satisfied that the restrictions imposed upon the movement of cattle, in consequence of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, rendered the observance of the condition in question extremely difficult, and that the misstatement of facts was not made with any intention to mislead, but was communicated by a clerk who acted without proper authority. A new licence was, therefore, issued on the 15th July upon an assurance being given by the company482W that all the prescribed conditions would be strictly complied with in future, and that steps had been taken to ensure that all communications addressed to my Department would be authorised and signed by a responsible official of the company.