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123. If there could be found enough buyers of certified and grade A (T.T.) milk at prices high enough to show adequate profit over their cost of production, the grading of milk would provide an inducement to maintain disease-free herds, and so would lead directly to a reduction of disease. But, as we have explained, there is very little demand for these milks. This demand might be improved by a better understanding, on the part of the public, of the meaning of the official designations. In particular, it is unfortunate that the designation of the lowest grade should be grade A. In paragraph 207 we make proposals on this point.
124. It cannot be claimed that, except in certain districts where clinical inspection of dairy cattle is being energetically carried out, there has been as yet any reduction in the extent to which milk at the farm is infected with bovine tuberculosis. But there is general agreement that milk has been produced with greater cleanliness since the milk and dairies order came into force. One reason for this is the increasing interest in the quality of milk consumed displayed by the medical profession and the public at large, and the more stringent requirements to which this has given rise on the part of the large milk distributing concerns. But important contributing factors have certainly been the inspection by sanitary authorities, and the educative activities of the ministries of agriculture and health in England and Wales, and of the corresponding departments in Scotland. It cannot, however, be said that the standard required by the milk and dairies orders is as yet generally attained. Sanitary authorities in rural areas have had recently to contend with a large increase in the number of cowsheds, and this alone has made heavy demands upon the attention of their inspectors. In addition, many rural authorities assert that financial considerations prevent them from employing enough sanitary inspectors adequately to carry out the duties laid upon them.
(d) Milk legislation in countries overseas.
125. Legislation relating to milk and the diseases of cattle in certain countries overseas is reviewed, in so far as it affects our inquiry, in appendix 10. From this appendix it will be seen that a number of interesting schemes have been put into force abroad from which useful experience has been gained. We mention, in particular, the milk grading schemes in force in the United States of America, the eradication schemes which have met with consider- able success in Canada and the United States, and the measures taken against bovine tuberculosis, often without any government assistance, in Denmark.
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PART 2.
POSSIBLE LINES OF ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT.
126.
Three major proposals have been made for improving the existing law, and have each found many advocates (and, in one case at least, opponents) among our witnesses. The first is that the higher standard of veterinary inspection of dairy cattle now attained in certain counties should be made universal. The second is that there should be an active policy for the eradication of disease, particularly of tuberculosis, by means of isolation or the elimination of reacting cows, or both. The third is to give certain urban authorities the right to require the pasteurisation (as defined in paragraph 120) of all milk sold within their boundaries which is not either certified or grade A (T.T.). The last of these measures is advocated exclusively on grounds of public health, the other two, both on grounds of public health and of agricultural efficiency. As a first step we proceed to review the merits of each proposal singly. Later we consider their interactions.
IV. THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE VETERINARY INSPECTION OF DAIRY CATTLE.
127. The object of routine veterinary inspection is to remove animals liable to be condemned under the tuberculosis order sooner than farmers have shown themselves likely to report them. It is hoped by such removal to reduce the infection of milk with tuber- culosis and, to a lesser extent, the spread of infection among cattle.
128. That thorough clinical inspection does reduce the amount of tuberculous milk passing into consumption is certain; but it can never render the milk supply safe. For, in the first place, some cows showing no clinical symptoms yield tuberculous milk. In the second place, they reach the stage of giving tuberculous milk between the visits of the inspector. Further, there must often be cases where milk is contaminated with tubercle bacilli present in infected dung or dust; for a large proportion of reacting cows without clinical symptoms excrete matter liable to cause infection in this way.
129. It is important to form a quantitative estimate of the extent to which routine veterinary inspection reduces the degree of infection of the milk supply. The data, however, on which we are forced to rely in making such an estimate, are to some extent contradictory, and in many respects deficient. It is certain, for
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