§ Mr. EGANasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that, owing to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in California, Canadian cattle that pass over the border in sealed trucks to the port of shipment are now stopped; and whether, in view of the fact that preventing Canadian fat cattle being shipped to British ports for immediate slaughter means enforced unemployment 2347W to thousands of workers and increased prices for meat, he will take steps to have the order cancelled?
§ Mr. BUXTONThe answer to the first part is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, Canadian fat cattle can still be shipped direct to Great Britain from Halifax and other Canadian ports, and, in any event, the number of fat cattle imported from Canada forms such a small proportion of the total number slaughtered in this country that the stoppage of the trade from United States ports is unlikely to have any appreciable effect upon employment or on the price of meat. In view of the necessity of taking every possible precaution against the introduction of disease, I regret that I cannot see my way to rescind the Order, under which the importation of cattle from the United States is prohibited.