§ Mr. Hoosonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what data is available on the residues of systemic insecticides in milk from treated cattle, and what consideration has been given to this in carrying out the Warble Fly (England and Wales) Order 1978.
§ Mr. StrangResidue data have been provided by companies in support of applications for approval under the veterinary products safety precautions scheme and, since 1971, under the Medicines Act 1968. As a result of scrutiny of this data the residues present in milk were not considered to present a hazard to consumers. However, to avoid gross contamination of the milk by run-off from dressings applied to the back, a minimum six-hour period between pour-on application and next milking is stipulated for all dressings. The Warble Fly (England and Wales) Order 1978 requires that dressings shall be applied according to the manufacturers' instructions.
§ Mr. Hoosonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Warble Fly (England and Wales) Order 1978 is a control programme or an eradication programme; and whether he estimates that the problem will be solved 884W permanently by steps taken under the order.
§ Mr. StrangThe order, together with a similar one covering Scotland, is part of a 5-year campaign started in the summer of 1978 to eradicate the warble fly in Great Britain.
The campaign each year comprises dissemination of information and advice to owners of cattle at risk from the fly to treat them in the autumn, when the grubs can be killed before they do any damage. The orders follow this up by requiring that cattle showing signs of infestation in the period mid-March to end July be treated.
As the announcement of the campaign early last year made clear, the aim is to reduce the incidence of warble fly to such a low level that final eradication measures can be put in hand in 1982.