§ Mr. Masonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fish farms are still affected by whirling disease, giving names and locations; what progress is being made towards eliminating this disease in Britain; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorThere are at present 44 fish farms in Great Britain on which there are grounds for believing that the causative agent of whirling disease(Myxosoma cerebralis) may be found. However, there may be other sites where Myxosoma cerebralis is also present at sub-clinical levels and has not been identified.
The known 44 sites are 40 of the 44 sites in Great Britain which I listed in my reply to the right hon. Member of 26 March 1984 at column 24, excluding Mill Leat trout farm in Devon, Alderley trout farm in Gloucestershire, Test Valley Trout (Itchen Abbas) Ltd in Hampshire and Dalhounzie in Perthshire, and four additional sites:
Yorkshire water authority hatchery, Costa Beck, Pickering, North Yorkshire, Itchen Valley trout farm, Ladycroft, Near Alresford, Hampshire, Crystal Springs trout hatchery, Southend, Damerham, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, Chirk Fishery Co. Ltd, Chirk, Wrexham, Clwyd.This occurrence of the disease has continued to be monitored in accordance with the policies announced in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson) on 27 February 1984 at column 2.