Avian Flu

Question: Will my hon. Friend find time in his busy schedule to read the report on the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in this country? Will he also find time to visit the marketplace to establish the price of fowl, so that if there is an outbreak of avian flu—which we all hope will not happen—the taxpayer will not be left picking up the bill to replace the many geese that, according to the industry, lay the golden egg?

Answer: The implication of my hon. Friend's question is that it is important that we learn the lessons from the foot and mouth outbreak. As has been mentioned in relation to a question on bovine tuberculosis, we have already looked carefully at the compensation that we pay. It is right that poultry and egg producers should be entitled to compensation for birds that are slaughtered in the event of any outbreak, because that provides an important incentive for them to report any signs of disease at an early stage. Everyone knows that with avian flu, as with many other animal diseases, the most important thing is early identification and quick containment and eradication.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 445 c218
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Disease control Avian influenza Departmental coordination Civil Contingencies Secretariat
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk