§ Mr. Grant-Ferrisasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to encourage farmers to establish brucella-free herds in the areas affected by the present foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
§ Mr. John Mackie:There is no reservoir of registered brucella-free cattle available for re-stocking. However, all 362W farmers concerned have received a note a general advice on re-stocking and we have asked them to get in touch with our Veterinary Service for individual advice about entry into the Brucellosis (Accredited Herds) Scheme. The main recommendation is to buy animals which have passed at least one blood test. If this is done it may be possible in some cases to reduce the number of qualifying tests.