Agriculture: Farm Animal Disease Debate
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Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior
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Agriculture: Farm Animal Disease
Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior Excerpts(13 years, 10 months ago)
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Lord Strathclyde
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Soulsby, has been trying to get in.
Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior
My Lords, I ask the Minister for his assurance that, despite any reduction in funding that may apply to agriculture and animal and plant health, the surveillance systems in this country are safeguarded, particularly with regard to exotic diseases. As has been mentioned by my noble friend Lord Plumb, their introduction can be devastating. It is very important that our surveillance systems are kept in place to safeguard against any incursion from overseas.
Lord Henley
My noble friend is right to remind the House of the financial constraints facing the Government as a result of what the previous Government managed to achieve in their 13 years in office. Nevertheless, I can assure my noble friend that we will make sure that the appropriate surveillance continues to be in place to deal with all animal diseases.