§ 62. Lieut.-Colonel Corbettasked the Minister of Agriculture how many cases of anthrax occurred in England in 1947, 1948, 1949 and up to date in 1950; in what counties they occurred; and what is considered to be the cause.
Mr. T. WilliamsIn England there were 108 outbreaks of anthrax in 1947, 95 in 1948 and 204 in 1949 and there have been 149 so far this year. Although outbreaks have occurred in the majority of counties they have been most numerous this year in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. I am sending the hon. Member a statement showing numbers of outbreaks in each county in England during the four years in question. It is probable that the increased incidence of anthrax is due largely to the increased imports of fertilisers and animal feedingstuffs from abroad.