Brucellosis (Hansard, 21 May 1974)

§ Mr. Peart

Of the estimated 164.000 or so herds in Great Britain containing animals which are testable for brucellosis, 88,137—nearly 54 per cent.—are now participating in the voluntary and compulsory brucellosis schemes. The participation rate in terms of cattle is even higher, with 59 per cent, of all testable animals now in compulsory or voluntary scheme herds. Apart from Scotland, for which proposals for eradication in 1975 have already been announced, compulsory and voluntary eradication progress has continued well in Wales. The large areas in Wales scheduled for compulsory eradication in November this year means that the veterinary staff will be fully utilised for 1975. With this in mind, I have decided that compulsory eradication should be extended only to the western part of the old county of Denbighshire on 1st November 1975. In England, eradication has already been scheduled to start in Essex and Cambridgeshire on 4th November of this year. I have now decided that eradication can be extended to the remainder of Cumbria, the counties of Bedford and Hertford, and the eastern part of Devon and northwest Somerset, all areas where voluntary scheme progress has been good. Eradication will accordingly start in these areas on 1st November 1975. The rate of progress for compulsory eradication is governed by the availability of veterinary staff, and the additional programme of compulsory eradication that I have outlined is the maximum that we can undertake at this stage, having regard to my other responsibilities for animal health matters. I must of course make it clear that the progress of brucellosis eradication must continue to be subject to any demands on staff caused by further outbreaks of epidemic or exotic disease, the 113W fight against which must always be given priority.