§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much he has allocated to fox destruction clubs in the past five years; what criteria are applied in the distribution of this funding; what methods the funded clubs use to destroy foxes; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Sir Hector MonroThe information on grant allocated to fox destruction clubs in the past five years is as follows:
£ 1988–89 47,649 1989–90 58,981 1990–91 47,566 1991–92 59,846 1992–93 60,400 Grants are paid to 31 clubs throughout Scotland to meet 50 per cent. of the approved cost of carrying out systematic fox control within a clearly defined area of adequate size. Group activity by farmers through these clubs has proved effective in reducing lamb losses.
Fox clubs use legal methods to dispatch foxes.