HC Deb 09 December 1993 vol 234 c469
2. Mr. Riddick

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken to secure safe, efficient and humane methods of pest control.

Mr. Soames

Responsibility for pest control lies with individual landowners and occupiers, who are free to use any legal method of control, including shooting, approved pesticides and traps.

Mr. Riddick

Does my hon. Friend agree that, from a conservation point of view, it is very important to control vermin in the countryside? Does he agree that one of the most effective and least cruel ways of controlling the fox population is hunting foxes with hounds—and does he agree that, from a national point of view, one of the most effective ways of controlling the pest population is ensuring that we have as few Labour Members as possible in the House of Commons?

Mr. Soames

My hon. Friend has made an important and serious point. The control of pests and vermin in the countryside is indeed very important. It is not good enough to turn a blind eye and allow vocal minority groups to try to force unsatisfactory practices on the countryside.

As my hon. Friend knows, the Government remain neutral on fox hunting. For my own part, however, I whole heartedly agree with what he has said: hunting plays a very important part in the life of the countryside and the whole nation would be irreparably the worse without it.

Mrs. Anne Campbell

Has the Minister had any discussions with his colleagues in the Department of the Environment about the cost of eliminating pesticides from the water supply? Does he think it right for that cost to continue to fall on the water rate payers, rather than on the polluters?

Mr. Soames

That is really a question for my right hon. and hon. Friends in the Department of the Environment. The hon. Lady may be assured, however, that we work very closely with the Department on such matters. As she knows, Government policy is that the use of pesticides should be limited to the absolute minimum that is necessary for effective use—for the effective control of pests, compatible with the protection of human health and the environment. We feel that arbitrary reduction targets would not be helpful.

I assure the hon. Lady that I will mention what she has said to my colleagues in the Department of the Environment.