§ Mr. T. DAVIESasked the President of the Board of Agriculture if there has been brought to his notice the number of poultry destroyed by foxes recently; whether he is aware that Messrs. G. and B. Robinson, farmers, Iford, Lewes, have lost forty head of poultry recently, and that Mr. Rogers, of Chailey, has had destroyed by foxes twenty birds out of a Coop of twenty-three in one night; and, in view of the shortage of food, whether he will take immediately most drastic steps to have these pests destroyed which encroach so largely on human food?
§ Sir R. WINFREYFrom time to time complaints regarding the destruction of poultry by foxes have been received by the Board of Agriculture, though the cases mentioned in the hon. Member's question are not among them. The Board have repeatedly been in communication with the association of masters of foxhounds who have taken steps, which in most cases have proved effective, to keep the number of foxes down. The Board will communicate with the association in respect of those cases to which the hon. Member calls attention, if he will supply them with full particulars.