Captain A. Evansasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been drawn to the investigations carried out by the Hannah Institute of Dairy Research into the feeding of calves on raw and pasteurised milk by experiments with two groups of calves, the first group with ordinary commercial milk in its raw state, the second group with the same milk after it had been submitted to ordinary commercial pasteurisation in a local dairy; that the results showed that of the 36 calves fed on ordinary commercial milk in its raw state 23 were ultimately found to be infected by tuberculosis mainly in the lungs, and of the 37 calves fed on the same milk after it had been submitted to ordinary commercial pasteurisation in a local dairy no case of tubercular infection was found; and, in view of this, whether he will take steps to make compulsory pasteurisation of all milk marketed?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. As to the second part of the question, the Government's proposals regarding the compulsory pasteurisation of milk are outlined in the White Paper on Milk Policy issued in July last, and as already announced, it is the Government's intention to bring forward legislation this Session on these lines.