§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act, in order to prohibit the all-year killing of wild birds in Britain.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Act permits the killing at any time only of those species listed in part 2 of schedule 2. These species can cause widespread agricultural damage or threaten public health or air safety. The Act implements the objectives of the European Community directive on wild birds to which the Government are fully committed. We have urged the European Commission to propose an amendment to the directive which will establish that member states may operate sensible pest control practices where this would not endanger the conservation of the species.