§ 53 and 55. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Agriculture (1) how many permits to set traps for rabbits elsewhere than in rabbit holes, contrary to the Prevention of Damage my Rabbits Act, 1939, have been granted during the current trapping season, and how many have been refused;
(2) how many permits for using steel-toothed traps, other than in rabbit holes, have been granted in instances where rabbit burrows are accessible.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI am making inquiries of the county war agricultural executive committees, and will communicate with my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
§ 54. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Minister of Agriculture under what conditions are all other methods of taking or killing rabbits, except that of trapping by steel traps, considered to be inapplicable.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI assume that my hon. Friend refers to the setting of steel traps in the open, that is, outside the burrows. I am advised that this is regarded as the only effective method of destroying rabbits in for example dense shrubland or woodland areas, thick over-grown hedges, or areas adjacent to cliffs, where the burrows are mainly in the cliff face.