§ 10. Mr. Hurdasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action county pests officers are authorised by him to take against wood pigeons where they do serious damage to crops.
§ Mr. John HareIt is the responsibility of farmers to take any necessary action against wood pigeons, but my pests officers help in the organisation of local shoots during late winter. They also keep a register of expert shots with whom farmers wishing to protect vulnerable crops may be put into touch.
§ Mr. HurdAs there are such widespread complaints about the heavy damage done by wood pigeons, are my right hon. Friend's pest officers carrying out any doping experiments to put the 1342 pigeons into a happy state of oblivion when they can be caught more easily?
§ Mr. HareYes, we have made some experiments in poisoning or "narcotising", but they have not been very promising and I am not very hopeful that we shall get very far that way. We are now experimenting with the possibility of nest destruction as a control measure, and there may be some future in that.