§ Mr. David Clarkasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how 241W many qualified veterinary staff are employed by his Department in the brucellosis eradication scheme; what increase in these numbers he anticipates in the next five years; and what are the comparative figures for laboratory staff.
§ Mr. PriorMost of my veterinary staff in the field are engaged to a greater or lesser extent on duties connected with the Brucellosis incentives scheme. They are supported, particularly in regard to blood sampling, by local veterinary inspectors and qualified lay staff. The extent to which the allocation of staff to this work will change with the progressive introduction of eradication areas will need to be considered as the scheme develops.
The same is true of laboratory staff, although it will probably be necessary to augment existing staff in eradication areas to deal with the additional blood testing resulting from the introduction of compulsory eradication in November, 1971.