§ Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will take steps to increase the efforts of research workers engaged in connection with fowl pest and other poultry diseases, in order to reduce the losses from disease in this industry, which is producing food to the value of almost £200,000,000 annually.
§ Sir T. DugdaleThe Agricultural Research Council and my Department are at present reviewing the possibility of increasing the amount of research into poultry diseases, in particular, respiratory diseases. A good deal of work has already been done on fowl pest, which has given us a sound knowledge of the nature of the disease, including a reliable method of diagnosis. This has enabled us to devise methods of control designed to prevent the disease becoming endemic, depending on the slaughter of affected and contact birds. In addition, a vaccine has been developed and its use studied in the field in case it should be necessary to adopt this method of control.