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In each of these cases the farmers had acted in good faith, having asked a
Veterinary Inspector or Police Officer to have the carcases examined before
removal.
The question, however, arose, why the Veterinary Surgeon in each instance
certified diseased carcases to be "fit for human consumption."
The reason given by one was that tuberculosis is not a disease scheduled
by the Board of Agriculture, and that certifying officials have no power
to detain any animal or carcase affected by it.
The other Veterinary Surgeon concerned stated that after examining 52
carcases of pigs, together with the lungs and livers, in which organs he should
expect to find tuberculosis, he passed 45 of them perfectly free from either
contagious or infectious disease, and that opinion he must adhere to.
These explanations being extremely unsatisfactory, the Sanitary Committee
ordered the facts to be reported to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries,
who, under date the 11th April, furnished the following explanation:—
It appears that under Article 4 of the Swine Fever Order, 1894, Rule 2 :
"Carcases of swine shall not be removed from an infected place except
"with the permission in writing from an Inspector or Officer of the
"Board or an Inspector of the Local Authority."
In the cases in question, the owners of the pigs were desirous of moving
some carcases of swine from an infected area ; in order to conform with the
above rule it was necessary to obtain the required certificate.
In neither case was the Veterinary Surgeon required by Rule 2 of the
Order to do more than give permission in writing for the removal of the
carcase from a Swine Fever infected place.
The point is, that in each of these instances, although the carcases in
question were affected with tuberculosis, the Veterinary Inspector had certified
that they were fit for human food.
In these circumstances I recommended that the Board of Agriculture be
requested to draft a form of Certificate that would obviate any misapprehension
in future—this suggestion being made in view of a statement contained in the
Board's communication that they were considering the Order referred to.