§ Mr. Terry Walkerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the gassing of badgers in the counties of Gloucestershire and Avon.
§ Mr. StrangI refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk) and Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Watkinson) on 3rd and 10th December, respectively. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of my Department's recent publication "Bovine Tuberculosis in Badgers", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Terry Walkerasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps are being taken to make sure that the badger does not become extinct in the Souh-West of England.
§ Mr. MarksI have been asked to reply.
There appears to be no likelihood of badgers becoming extinct in the South- 840W West. It has been found necessary to gas badgers in limited parts of the region to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis, but experience suggests that there will be no shortage of badgers to re-colonise these areas once the disease problem has been overcome.
§ Mr. Geraint Howellsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to introduce Deildrin sheep dip; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StrangI would again refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 12th January 1976 to the hon. Member for Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (Mr. Steel)—[Vol. 903, c.43.] The situation is unchanged.