§ 31. Mr. G. Robertsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as representing the Lord President of the Council, to what extent, and where, research into the causes and the possibility of early detection of foot-and-mouth disease is conducted by his Department.
§ Mr. GodberResearch on the virus which causes foot-and-mouth disease is being carried on at the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Research Institute at Pirbright, Surrey. This is a large institute which has been considerably expanded recently and now employs twenty-three scientists working on many different aspects of the problem of this disease.
The Institute is a recognised world centre for the examination of material from suspected outbreaks and for the rapid confirmation of the existence or otherwise of the disease. Methods are now available for rapid diagnosis and confirmation of the type.