§ 31. Mr. Westasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in the campaign against locusts in Africa.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsI am glad to say that vigorous efforts against locusts in Central and East Africa have achieved signal success.
In Central Africa an international campaign against the red locust under a Belgian director assisted by Belgian, South African and British technical staff was carried out at the beginning of the year and was so successful that it has entirely put an end to a cycle of outbreaks which might have caused very serious damage over a wide area. His Majesty's Government bore the cost of necessary buildings and British Colonial Governments bore 40 per cent. of the running costs.
In East Africa the chief enemy is the desert locust. Over the last five years campaigns against it have been carried out in Kenya, the Somalilands, the Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Arabia. These have succeeded in preventing serious encroachment on the main cultivated areas. The swarming cycle seems now to be ended but plans have been made to keep a watch for further outbreaks. The cost of much of this work has fallen on His Majesty's Government, but I am satisfied that it has been fully worth while.
In West Africa the French authorities have a team engaged in work against 32W the migratory locust and we are co-operating fully with them.
A large part of the credit for the successes so far achieved is due to the Anti-Locust Research Centre in London, under the leadership of Dr. Uvarov backed up by the splendid work which has been done in the field.