HC Deb 31 March 1998 vol 309 c490W
11. Mr. Canavan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the progress of the study being conducted of the threat to racing pigeons caused by predators. [35453]

Angela Eagle

There is little quantitative and qualitative data available about the causes and scale of loss of racing pigeons. To address this gap in knowledge, my Department let a research contract to the Hawk and Owl Trust to assess the impact of raptor predation on pigeons and to investigate the effectiveness of non-lethal deterrents. The research is progressing to an agreed timetable and the findings of this research should be reported by the end of September 1998.