Miss Wardasked the Secretary of State for Scotland under what circumstances a licensing inspector recently turned down at Perth an Aberdeen Angus bull which had subsequently won the supreme championship and was sold at the record price of 8,500 guineas; what the qualifications of the inspector were; and how long he had been so employed.
Mr. McNeilThe bull was examined by one of my livestock inspectors who, applying standing instructions, recommended that a licence should not be granted because of a mouth deformity. The required licence was, however, 49W granted before the bull was sold because in the opinion of the appeal referee (the owner having exercised his right to appeal) the deformity of the mouth was unlikely to be transmitted to the progeny of the bull. I am satisfied that the inspector is fully qualified to carry out his livestock duties. He was appointed to my permanent staff for these duties in 1948 and had many years previous experience of livestock.
I should add that the Department of Agriculture for Scotland have arranged to discuss, during the next few weeks, the present licensing standards in Scotland in respect of mouth deformities and other defects in bulls with members of the veterinary profession, the breed societies and other agricultural interests.