HC Deb 24 March 1947 vol 435 cc140-1W
Mr. J. Morrison

asked the Minister of Agriculture what information he has with regard to instances of hypomagnesemia amongst cattle in this country; what number are estimated to have died from it in the last six months; and what steps are being taken to conduct research on this disease.

Mr. T. Williams

Some hundreds of cases of hypomagnesemia in cattle in this country have been reported to my Department by veterinary practitioners during the last six months, but as the disease is not compulsorily notifiable I have no actual figures either of its incidence or of fatal cases. Research into the disease has been carried out for several years at the Veterinary Laboratory of my Department at Weybridge and the results of this research, which has yielded a successful treatment, have been published from time to time in veterinary journals.