§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the counties where pigs have been found to be carrying the virus causing blue ear disease while at the same time showing no signs of the disease; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerPigs in North Yorkshire and Humberside have been found to be carrying the virus causing blue ear disease while at the same time showing no symptoms.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give the number of pigs that have been tested for blue ear disease either by his Ministry or by private veterinarians; how many of these tests were found to be positive; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerUp to 21 October blood samples from 690 pigs in Great Britain have been tested for blue ear disease at the central veterinary laboratory. A total of 436 pigs were found to be positive.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what new information he has about the transmission of blue ear disease in the pig population; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Torridge and Devon, West (Miss Nicholson) on 16 October,Official Report, column 153.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce a slaughter policy to control blue ear disease; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerI have no plans to introduce a slaughter policy which would serve no useful purpose as a disease control measure.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will update his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 15 October,Official Report, column 148, by giving details of the counties where restrictions have been imposed to control blue ear disease; whether the disease has been confirmed; and how many cases there are in each county up to the week beginning 21 October; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerThe information requested is as follows:
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County Number of holdings Number of confirmed cases Humberside 47 17 North Yorkshire 4 2 Warwickshire 1 1 Lincolnshire 2 1 Surrey 1 0 Total 55 21
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures he took to prevent blue ear disease from entering the United Kingdom from countries which already had been known to have the disease in their own pig populations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerInformation on the steps taken to try to prevent the introduction into the United Kingdom of blue ear pig disease is set out in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Torridge and Devon, West (Miss Nicholson) on 16 October,Official Report, column 153.