§ Mr. Michael Heseltineasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many mink were trapped by his Department's officers in 1968 in Devon; what evidence he has as to the prevalence of this animal in this country; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John MackieThe number of wild mink reported killed in Devon during 1968 was 287; of these 159 were destroyed by Ministry operators.
Judging from our own operations and from reports by occupiers of land, it would not appear that the wild mink population is increasing in the country as a whole, although the animals are more widely distributed in some areas than they are in others.