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At the time no satisfactory methods of sterilising egg after drying
was known; pasteurisation of the liquid egg before drying is effective
but cannot be applied to the powder. However, experiments in
Canada, using Ethylene Oxide, suggested that dried egg could be
effectively sterilised, even after packaging in certain wrapping
materials, and from recent imported samples treated by Ethylene
Oxide in Canada it has not been found possible to isolate Salmonellae
in any consignment. It seems therefore that this patented system
of Ethylene Oxide treatment of egg after drying affords an important
new method of sterilisation which could be used in the event of the
discovery of pathogenic organisms in dried egg if the necessary plant
were to be set up in this country, and should be of considerable value
to Public Health Departments and to the trade users of imported
dried egg.
7. THE KEEPING OF ANIMALS. The breeding of animals
in suburban residential gardens can never be regarded as satisfactory
on grounds of public health, although many residents, if they feel so
disposed, do accommodate animals in the immediate neighbourhood of
their residences. It is possible with great care to maintain a good
standard of hygiene when an occasional animal or bird is kept as a
pet in a small garden ; the standard of amenity, however, must be
materially altered when the keeping of animals in the garden of a
residence is undertaken for commercial purposes, and such a case
during the year caused considerable difficulty. The establishment
was a farm of some 150 head of mink and occasioned serious protest
from neighbouring residents. The grinding of the food, the alleged
stench, and the alleged nuisance from flies, were all the subject of
complaint. Frequent visits were paid by the District Inspector and
other members of the Council's staff, but on no occasion could the
offence be regarded as reaching the magnitude of a statutory nuisance
and it was felt that the animals were not kept "in such a way" or
in such a place" as to warrant formal action under the Public Health
Act. The Council, however, urged upon the owner of the farm that
such use of the land was not in the best interests of the neighbourhood,
and ultimately our difficulties were resolved by the owner removing
to a rural area.
This seems to be a good illustration of how the long and patient
application of moral pressure, without resort to legal action, can
finally have worthwhile results.
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