§ Mr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the organisations which have been invited to nominate representatives to form an advisory group to consider controlling tuberculosis in deer; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy officials have written to the following organisations inviting them to nominate representatives to form an advisory group to consider setting up a deer health scheme:
- British Deer Society
- British Deer Producers Society Ltd.
- British Deer Farmers Association
- National Farmers Union
- British Veterinary Association
- Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
The purpose of the deer health scheme will be to establish a pool of tuberculosis-free herds in Great Britain. It is not the aim of the scheme to control tuberculosis in deer. Control will be by means of the new legislative measures I announced in my statement of 15 December 1988 at columns 674–675.
§ Mr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the details of his proposals for an industry funded programme for the compulsory slaughter of tuberculosis infected deer.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonIn response to calls from industry for compulsory slaughter I have suggested that it might consider the possibility of an industry funded programme. Whether to proceed with such a programme, and the details of it, would depend partly on the industry's response.
§ Mr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from how many organisations he is awaiting a response about the possibility of his Ministry introducing an industry-funded compulsory slaughter programme for deer infected with tuberculosis; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy officials have written to 13 organisations in England and Wales about the measures which the Government propose to introduce and also referring to the request to the deer farming industry to consider the possibility of an industry-funded slaughter programme. A similar letter has been sent to two organisations in Scotland. The letters invited comments from the organisations consulted. Four have replied so far; responses from the others are awaited.