§ Mr. Liddallasked the Minister of Agriculture what proportion of tested milch cows in Great Britain show evidence of Brucella infection as manifested by agglutination blood tests; and what measures he has taken to allay the anxiety felt by certain local authorities at the failure of his Department materially to help in investigating this disease in animals and in preventing the sale and distribution of milk from farms in which Brucella infested cows are believed to exist?
§ Mr. W. S. MorrisonNo statistics are available as to the proportion of mulch cows submitted to the agglutination test which react, but the general view is that about 40 per cent. of dairy cows are infected. Where at a routine clinical inspection of a dairy herd, or at a special inspection made following a report from a local authority that suspicion attaches to certain milk, a milch cow is found by a veterinary inspector showing clinical signs of the disease, the sale of the milk of such animal is prohibited by Section 5 of the Milk and Dairies (Consolidation) Act, 1915.
For the last few years the problem of contagious abortion in cattle has been under investigation at a number of institutions under the aegis of a Committee of the Agricultural Research Council appointed in consultation with the Medical Research Council. Any question with regard to the work of the committee should be addressed to the Lord President of the Council.