asked the Minister for Agriculture whether, in view of the disastrous consequences that would ensue should foot and mouth disease spread in this country, he will issue a warning and ask everybody to cooperate with his Department in the approved measures for stamping it out at once, also, if he will state what steps he proposes to take to deal with any person found cloaking the disease, attempting to cure it, recommending treatment for it or failing promptly to report suspected cases.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Foot and Mouth Disease.
Wide publicity has been given to the existence of foot and mouth disease in the Press, wireless, etc., and stock-owners should be under no doubt that it is their duty to report promptly to the Gárda any suspicion of the presence of foot and mouth disease in cattle, sheep and swine in their possession or charge. Departmental veterinary officers are always available to investigate such reports. Failure to report promptly or cloaking the existence of the disease is an offence under the Diseases of Animals Acts and, on conviction, is liable to heavy penalty and possible loss of compensation for animals necessarily slaughtered to prevent the spread of the disease.
Is the Minister aware that people do not consider that this disease is as serious as I regard it? There are people going around assuring farmers that they can cure the disease with a handful of salt and criticising the Department's policy of stamping out the disease and paying compensation. If the Department intends to carry out its policy efficiently, it should insist on no other course being adopted. If people begin to cure cattle, that will involve cloaking the disease and, for every beast cured, the disease may spread to 1,000, the cattle trade may be ruined and the taxpayer mulcted in millions. The Minister should make a statement on the matter and, if necessary, take more power to deal with this aspect of it.
That may be necessary.
Would the Minister, in that connection, consider a little local publicity, pointing out, in the first place, that the disease is not curable in existing circumstances and that no attempt must be made to cure it and, in the second place, pointing out that compensation in the case of foot and mouth disease is based on the full market value of the beast destroyed? A misapprehension on that point is what is causing people to cloak the disease. The Minister may not be aware that people believe that, when a beast is killed under the Foot and Mouth Act, they will get only "tuberculosis compensation," which amounts to £2 or £3. If they were told that they would get the market price, you would get a much more generous measure of co-operation than you are getting at the present time.
That is so. It may be necessary to make a further announcement.