§ Mr. J. Morrisonasked the Minister of Agriculture what is the total to date of 127W poultry deaths through fowl pest; what this loss represents in money; and, approximately, in annual egg output.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsAbout 173,000 poultry have died or have been slaughtered because of fowl pest, at a total value estimated to be in the neighbourhood of £185,000. It is difficult to give a reliable estimate of the loss in egg output since some of the birds were not being kept for egg production, and others, no doubt, were approaching the end of their laying life. The best estimate I can make of the loss is approximately 14 million eggs per annum.