§ Mr. Armstrongasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether 115W he will establish a testing station for foot-and-mouth disease in North-East England; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John MackieNo. The security precautions essential in handling foot-and-mouth disease virus make it necessary to limit the number of these establishments to the minimum. The laboratory facilities of the Animal Virus Research Institute, Pirbright, which is a world reference laboratory for foot-and-mouth disease, are available to our veterinary officers as an aid to diagnosis of the disease. The facilities at Pirbright are the best obtainable and there is no reason to duplicate them.