HC Deb 13 December 1978 vol 960 cc636-7
5. Mr. Thompson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to exterminate feral mink.

Mr. Hugh D. Brown

Responsibility for control of feral mink rests with the occupiers of land, but my Department is ready to advise on suitable control measures.

Mr. Thompson

Is not the Minister being extremely complacent? Why are the Government so certain that they could exterminate feral mink if rabies came to this country, when they are unable to do anything about it when it is a question of saving poultry on the upland farms or our native species of birds from this voracious, alien carnivore, as it has been so rightly called recently—[An HON. MEMBER: "Dennis Canavan."] —though obviously not by the Minister?

Mr. Brown

I am not being complacent. [Interruption.] My hon. Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) does not need time to think. He can come back on that for himself.

This is a serious problem. I can only repeat that we are concerned about it. But obviously, in general, it is the policy of the Department to place the responsibility on those who are affected by this pest.

Mr. Grimond

The Minister says that this is a serious problem. Will he say what hard information he has about it? How many of these wild mink are there? What do they live on? Has the Minister any estimate of the damage that they do?

Mr. Brown

As far as I know, they are not particularly prevalent on either Orkney or Shetland, although I know that there is a local problem. I do not think that anyone knows how many there are. It is certainly a problem in some areas. This is a serious matter. Feral mink have one unfortunate habit. They kill more than they need to eat. That makes them rather unpleasant.