682 



Movement of Swine. 



[FEB., 



In a circular letter addressed by the Board of Agriculture to 

 Local Authorities, and dated 12th January, 1904, it was pointed 

 out that in order to mitigate the incon- 



very desirable that the provisions in Local Regulations should 

 so far as practicable be uniform in form and substance, especially 

 in the case of the Regulations of a county and of the boroughs 

 situated geographically therein. In framing the Swine Fever 

 (Regulation of Movement) Order of 1903 the Board had this 

 point specially in view, and they had further in contemplation 

 the possibility of applying the provisions of that Order to 

 groups of Local Authorities, thereby rendering possible the free 

 movement of swine in larger areas than those of a single county, 

 whilst affording to each Local Authority concerned the security 

 that the precautionary measures which their own Regulations 

 are designed to achieve should be enforced throughout the 

 larger area. 



. In a subsequent circular letter, dated 27th January, 1906, the 

 Board observe that, in their opinion, the time has now arrived 

 when it is desirable that the policy of grouping together the 

 districts of Local Authorities for the purposes of restrictions 

 relating to the movement of swine, suggested in their previous 

 communication, should be further developed. 



Statistics are given which show that the decrease in the number 

 of outbreaks of swine fever in Great Britain since the year 1901 

 has been continuous, and, broadly speaking, that the improve- 

 ment has been manifested in all parts of the country. It is also 

 noticeable that in counties where the disease still unfortunately 

 continues, comparatively speaking, to be prevalent, the out- 

 breaks which occur are in a considerable measure confined to 

 much more restricted areas, rendering it less difficult than 

 formerly to control the spread of disease in a locality by means 

 of restrictions on movement specially applied thereto. 



The marked improvement which has been brought about in 

 the swine fever position in Ireland, where the outbreaks fell to 

 48 in 1905, as compared with 181 in 1904, is also a factor to be 

 taken into consideration in this connection. 



Movement of 

 Swine in Combined 

 Districts. 



venience to which pig-owners must neces- 

 sarily be subjected by the operation of 

 restrictions of a general character, it was 



