§ Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Agriculture if he is aware of the widespread damage being done by rooks to freshly 137W planted corns, beans and barley; and is he doing anything to prevent this loss of valuable food.
§ Mr. T. WilliamsI am aware that damage is being done to crops by rooks in districts where there is an undue local concentration of these birds. Effective measures of control are not practicable at this season of the year when the rooks are roosting. The only effective means of controlling rooks is by large scale shooting at nesting time in the spring, followed by thinning of the nests. County war agricultural executive committee have appropriate powers to deal with rooks and I propose to remind committees of the need to use their powers where there are heavy concentrations.