1910.] Report on Diseases of Animals. 393 



the disease may exist therein, it being clear that in such cir- 

 cumstances the unrestricted movement of store swine, and 

 their aggregation in markets, may be the means of spreading 

 the disease from premises to premises. 



It is of the first importance that agriculturists should be 

 brought to recognise the necessity for the restrictions wherever 

 the existence of swine-fever is established. Were it possible, 

 consistently with the attainment of the object in view, to dif- 

 ferentiate between the disease in the acute and in the chronic 

 form, those responsible for the operations against the disease 

 would be the first to avail themselves of any advantages which 

 could be derived from such a differentiation, since they, more 

 than anyone, recognise the difficulties of dealing with the 

 chronic outbreaks with the necessary stringency. Unfortun- 

 ately there is no line of demarcation between the two forms of 

 the disease which can be adopted for administrative purposes, 

 and there is no alternative but to persist in the line of action 

 which has been decided upon. I 



Some objection has been raised to the slaughter by the 

 Board, with compensation, of breeding animals on premises 

 where swine-fever exists. In deciding to extend the practice 

 of slaughter so as to include stock of this class, the main 

 object of the Board was to place the owner in a better position 

 to secure the speedy eradication of the disease from his pre- 

 mises and the consequent withdrawal of restrictions. Except, 

 however, in cases where the construction of the premises is 

 such as to render them unsuitable for the isolation of swine 

 thereon, the slaughter is not insisted on in the face of objec- 

 tion by the owner. Such objection is rarely raised, as it is 

 only in special cases that the owner is prepared to face the 

 alternative of prolonged restrictions. 



That the slaughter of breeding stock in connection with 

 outbreaks of swine-fever is to any appreciable extent the 

 cause for the reduction of the number of pigs kept in Great 

 Britain, is, at least, very doubtful, and those who have put 

 forward that view have not produced any very convincing 

 evidence in its favour. Similarly, there seems to be little or 

 no foundation for the suggestion that the general restrictions 

 on the movement of swine have led to the diminution in the 

 pig population. 



The general position as regards sheep scab is summed up 



