HC Deb 25 April 1994 vol 242 cc74-5W
Mr. Morley

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give details of research projects funded or undertaken by her officials or the Agricultural Development Advisory Service into controlling pest species by contraceptive bait and other non-violent means.

Mr. Soames

Listed are the research projects currently funded by the Ministry on non-violent means of pest control. The Ministry does not currently undertake any research on contraceptive baits for the control of vertebrate pests. The two projects for immunocontraceptives for rabbits shown involve the development of immunocontraceptive vaccines and include oral administration of vaccines but not field baiting. Once promising vaccines have been developed, field studies including baiting will be commissioned. Preparatory field research, without the use of vaccines, is planned to begin in 1995–96 in order to collect baseline data.

The Forestry Commission is carrying out research on deer-proof fencing, repellants and the use of genetics and tree breeding to produce natural compounds to deter deer; and on the use of tree guards against rabbits.

MAFF research projects on the control of vertebrate pests by non-violent means

  1. 1. Strategic monitoring and modelling of bird pest populations to predict damage, damage limitation and the impact of agriculture on population.
  2. 2. Prevention of damage by birds using naturally occurring stimuli.
  3. 3. Predicting damage to winter wheat in relation to the density of rabbits and the timing of population control.
  4. 4. Developing humane, environmentally acceptable and cost-effective techniques for reducing rabbit numbers or otherwise preventing crop damage.
  5. 5. Modelling rabbit populations and designing control packages.
  6. 6. Uteroglobin as an immunocontraceptive vaccine.
  7. 7. Irreversible immucontraception for the control of wild rabbits.
  8. 8. Devising a procedure to be followed when badgers may have to be removed from a sett.
  9. 9. Mammalian pheromones and their use in pest control.
  10. 10. The management of mammal pests in farm woodlands.

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