§ Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Minister of Agriculture whether, in the case of instructions being given by his 56W Department to destroy cattle suffering from foot-and-mouth disease, compensation is paid to the owner; if so, to what amount and the basis of determining such payments; and whether the same principle of compensation applies to the destruction by disinfecting processes of the personal property of slaughtermen engaged in the destruction of such cattle?
§ Mr. N. BUXTONCompensation is paid by the Ministry for cattle destroyed on its instructions in connection with outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease. The amount of the compensation is governed by Section 15 of the Diseases of Animals Act, 1894, and is as follows:
- (i) Where the animal slaughtered was affected with foot-and-mouth disease the compensation shall be the value of the animal immediately before it became so affected:
- (ii) In every other case the compensation shall be the value of the animal immediately before it was slaughtered.
The valuation is determined by a valuer appointed by the Ministry. If the valuation is not accepted by the owner, and he gives written notice to this effect, the question stands referred to the arbitration of a single arbitrator (Article 13 of the Animals (Miscellaneous Provisions) Order of 1927). Under Article 9 (4) of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Order of 1928, disinfection in outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (including disinfection of the personal property of slaughtermen if likely to have been contaminated by the disease) may be at the expense of the Ministry or at the expense of the occupier of the premises, as the Ministry may determine. If in the course of a disinfection carried out at the Ministry's expense it were necessary, for the purpose of preventing the spread of infection, to destroy personal property, or if such personal property were rendered useless by the process of disinfection, compensation representing the value of the articles so destroyed would be paid by the Ministry.