§ Mr. William Sheltonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied as to the efficacy of poisons available to kill rodents; whether new poisons are being tested and developed; and whether any poisons containing the ingredient chlorafacinone have been tested by his Department and with what results.
§ Mrs. FennerAnti-coagulants like warfarin are safe, human and fully effective against those rates and mice which have not developed a resistance to this type of poison. In areas where resistance is known to occur, alternative poisons such as zinc phosphide may have to be used, but special precautions are needed, notably to ensure that domestic animals are not put at risk.
We are continuing the quest for improved methods of control, including new poisons, on the lines described in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) on 17th December 1971. Chlorophacinone was tested several years ago and found to be similar in effectiveness to warfarin, but, unfortunately, rodents resistant to the latter proved resistant also to the former. —[Vol. 828, c. 199.]