§ 52. Mr. Skeffington-Lodgeasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he has noted the large number of cases in which Colorado beetles have been found in this country within recent weeks; and whether in the light of this fact he will make a statement about the steps his Department is taking to deal with the menace.
§ 63. Mr. John Morrisonasked the Minister of Agriculture how many cases of Colorado beetle have been identified in England; and if he is satisfied that all possible precautions are being taken to avoid a large scale outbreak.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsThe number of instances of Colorado beetles breeding on potato crops so far discovered this year is only seven. In addition, there have been about 40 single beetles found with imported produce or near docks and about 240 on cross-channel ships. My Department has an organisation equipped to deal with the pest in the field, wherever it may be found, including adequate spraying and dusting machinery, supplies of insecticides and trained operators. The precise steps taken are described in a recent article in the Ministry's journal, "Agriculture," copies of which I am sending to hon. Members. Precautionary spraying of potato crops in areas where the beetle is most likely to appear is also undertaken on a considerable scale; some 25,000 to 30,000 acres are expected to be treated this year. These precautions are designed to obviate the risk of a large scale outbreak.