§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has plans to review his policy towards tuberculosis control; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerThe tuberculosis control policy is kept under constant review to ensure its continued effectiveness.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many badgers have been slaughtered due to tuberculosis on a county-by-county basis for each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerThe information requested is as follows:
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Avon 103 88 37 110 129 Cornwall 302 270 117 100 176 Devon 43 31 91 193 180 Dorset 276 27 62 77 13 Dyfed 57 41 19 27 5 Gloucestershire 238 260 235 242 206 Somerset 6 — 65 23 — East and West Sussex 4 — — — — Wiltshire 90 65 85 6 18 Total 1,119 782 711 778 727
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has and what research he has carried out into the possible transmission of bovine tuberculosis from cattle to cattle by nose contact; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerLargely because of the effectiveness of routine cattle testing, the transmission of bovine tuberculosis both within herds and between contiguous premises in Great Britain is rare. The possible origin of infection in all confirmed herd breakdowns is investigated. Movements on to farms and badger activity have been shown to be far more significant.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cattle have been slaughtered as a result of tuberculosis by county for each year since 1985.
688W
§ Mr. GummerThe following table sets out for counties in England and Wales for the years 1986–89 the numbers of cattle slaughtered under the Tuberculosis (England and Wales) Order 1984. Counties not shown have no record of any slaughter. Information in the form requested is not available for 1985.
1986 1987 1988 19891 Berkshire — 1 1 — Buckinghamshire — — — 1 Hampshire 3 3 2 2 Isle of Wight — — — 1 Surrey 7 — 1 — East Sussex 3 2 — — West Sussex — — — 23 Bedfordshire — — 2 — Cambridgeshire — 1 — — Essex 1 — 5 — Hertfordshire 2 2 — — Lincolnshire 1 1 — 6 Norfolk 3 — — 1 Suffolk — 1 — 4 Cleveland — — 2 — Cumbria 3 1 1 1 Durham 3 — — — Northumberland — 3 19 1 Yorkshire 9 6 6 4 Humberside — — — 7 Cornwall 101 173 118 244 Devon 46 159 173 88 Dorset 21 33 49 33 Gloucestershire 50 146 76 92 Avon 43 17 102 95 Somerset 9 43 13 7 Wiltshire 25 22 9 102 Cheshire 2 2 5 1 Derbyshire — 1 3 9 Hereford and Worcester 19 2 4 25 Lancashire 10 25 19 12 Leicestershire 3 12 9 10 Merseyside — 5 1 — Nottinghamshire 1 — 3 — Shropshire 1 — 15 13 Staffordshire 5 2 15 14 Warwickshire 5 3 2 3 Greater Manchester 5 7 1 1 Powys 11 61 4 7 Gwynedd — 1 — — Dyfed 82 68 52 51 Clwyd — — — 4 South Glamorgan 1 — — — West Glamorgan — — 2 — Gwent — — 1 7 Total 475 803 715 869 1 Provisional.