§ Mr. Buchanan-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the incidence over the past five years of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis; what protection is available against this disease; and if he will permit the import of vaccine.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownInfectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) is a respiratory disease caused by a virus. As the disease is not notifiable there are no reliable statistics of its incidence over the past five years, but there is some evidence that 131W it has increased over the past year, particularly in North-East Scotland. An inactivated vaccine against the disease is available in this country but live vaccines have not yet been licensed. It is open to any commercial company interested in manufacturing or importing a vaccine to apply for a produce licence to the Veterinary Products Committee, which advises the Ministers responsible for agriculture in the United Kingdom as to the safety, quality and efficacy of veterinary medicines.