§ 7. Mr. Hardyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice is given by his Department to those engaged in agriculture as to the treatment of badgers.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartSince badgers are not pests, I see no occasion for advising anybody about how to treat them.
§ Mr. HardyWould the hon. Gentleman not agree that the badger is a useful rather than harmful animal, and would he publicise this view, making it clear that the only inconvenience the badger causes is to the fox hunters?
§ Mr. StodartI would go a very long way with the hon. Gentleman. The badger does very little damage. It occasionally, but unusually, kills poultry, and it occasionally rolls among corn, but since I was brought up on "The Wind in the Willows" I have always been of the firm belief that generally the badger is a benevolent animal.