§ Mr. HURDasked the Minister of Agriculture if his Department has discovered any indications of the source of origin of last summer's outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in county Armagh?
§ Sir J. GILMOURMy Department has no jurisdiction in Northern Ireland as regards animal diseases, but I am informed that the Ministry of Agriculture, 1277W Northern Ireland, after exhaustive investigation, reached the conclusion that the only apparent source of infection on the farm in County Down on which the disease first appeared was cauliflowers from the Continent.
§ Mr. HURDasked the Minister of Agriculture what progress the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Committee has made with its further tests under trade conditions of foreign dried milk and other milk products to ascertain whether they are carriers of foot-and-mouth disease; and when a report may be expected?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI have communicated with my hon. Friend on this matter. The practicability of securing tests under trade conditions is being explored, and I will inform my hon. Friend of the results as soon as they are available.
§ Sir C. CAYZERasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the recent report of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Committee as to the possibility of the disease being carried into this country in imports of dried milk and to the experiments of the committee definitely proving that dried foreign milk contaminated with foot-and-mouth virus can remain infective for a month; and what action he proposes to take to meet this danger?
§ Sir J. GILMOURI am not in a position at present to add to the reply which I gave on 16th November last to a similar question by my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Mr. Hurd).