CO129-562-12 Dysentry epidemic- recommendation to enforce compulsory pasteurization of milk 7-6-1937 - 17-8-1937 — Page 44

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the recognised functions of the central government to enforce uniform minimum standards of administration upon diverse local authorities, and this can be done without curtailing opportunities for local experiment and leadership. More specifically it is held that, as local authorities will continue to be responsible for the administration of existing acts relating to cattle, meat and milk, it would be a retrograde step to deprive them of responsibility for the inspection of herds and the administration of measures designed to eradicate disease.

175. Most of us agree that the veterinary staffs of the local authorities should be expanded and that the local veterinary services should be placed upon the same footing as the public medical services. Chief veterinary officers should only be appointed or dismissed by local authorities with the approval of the Ministry of Agriculture in England and Wales. In Scotland their dismissal already is, and should remain, subject to the consent of the Department of Health. This suggested method is identical with the method already employed in the appointment of principal medical officers of health of local authorities. The Ministry of Agriculture should have the same powers and duties in relation to the veterinary services of local authorities as the Ministry of Health has in relation to the public health services of local authorities.

176. In the second place, we suggest that no veterinary officer should be eligible for appointment as a member of the local veterinary staff unless he possessed the qualification represented by the diploma of veterinary state medicine. There will in any case be a need for increased numbers of veterinary surgeons specially trained in research and preventive medicine, and it should therefore be arranged that the veterinary colleges should give greater facilities for those wishing to take this diploma. In this way it should be possible to provide a supply of veterinary officers of the requisite standard of attainment. Veterinary officers employed by the local authority for the purpose of this service should be eligible for benefit under the superannuation scheme for local government officers.

177. In the third place, the Ministry of Agriculture should contribute towards the maintenance of the veterinary service established by local authorities, the basis of contribution being the cow population within the controlled area (see paragraph 226). By virtue of this contribution the Ministry would be able to enforce the desired standard of local service in the manner indicated in our first suggestion.

178. Finally, we suggest that for the purpose of central co-ordination the country should continue to be divided into regions or administrative areas and that within each of these the Ministry of Agriculture should establish an administrative centre under the

* For a reservation by Sir Merrik Burrell, see page 99.

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control of its own officer. The regional officer of the Ministry of Agriculture would act as liaison between the local authorities and the central department of the Ministry; he would be responsible to the Ministry for securing uniformity of administration within his own region; he would be the officer of the Ministry to whom application would first be made upon the outbreak of an epidemic in any part within that area. He would act in an advisory capacity in relation to local veterinary services and chief veterinary officers, in an administrative capacity as representing the Ministry of Agriculture and in an executive capacity upon the outbreak of an epidemic. If the general preference for local government, which is now observable in British administrative practice, were shown in the case of veterinary inspection, we believe that the scheme that we have outlined would secure better results than those likely to be achieved by any other scheme based upon a similar preference. But whatever form of organisation is adopted we are all of us of the opinion that the same veterinary officers should be responsible for the routine clinical inspection of dairy cattle and for the duties in connection with eradication discussed in paragraphs 186-205 below.

179. It has been suggested to us that the functions of sanitary authorities relating to the inspection of dairy premises under the milk and dairies orders might with advantage be transferred to county councils and executed through their veterinary officers concurrently with the routine clinical examination of cattle which we have recommended. It has been urged in favour of this proposal that the addition of these duties would place little, if any, extra burden upon veterinary officers, who would in any event be upon the spot, and might result in the saving of the time of the sanitary inspectors of sanitary authorities. An examination of this proposal has convinced us that the saving of the time of sanitary inspectors is likely to be unimportant, and that in any event sanitary inspectors must remain responsible for the structural condition of buildings, including the drainage and water supply. We have also found that in many urban districts the examination of dairy premises by sanitary inspectors is carried out much more frequently than would be the clinical inspection of cattle by veterinary inspectors. In some rural districts, financial considerations have prevented the appointment of sufficient sanitary inspectors to carry out adequately the duties lying upon them. But the provision of the present order, which allows these duties to be transferred by sanitary authorities to the county council, seems to provide a satisfactory remedy for this state of affairs. We recommend that the sanitary authorities themselves should consider taking advantage of this provision as soon as the veterinary service has been expanded. In any case, close co-opera- tion should be established between the sanitary authorities and the veterinary service, especially in regard to the design of cow-houses and their modification when eradication is in progress. But we are of the opinion that the functions of sanitary authorities under the

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