§ 41. Mr. David Priceasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in view of his declared intention, in the event of a rabies outbreak in wild life anywhere in Great Britain, to destroy foxes in the infected area, what steps he has taken to ensure that he has a full population count of all foxes in 769W Great Britain and the locations of their earths.
§ Mr. StrangTo attempt a full population count of all foxes and the locations of their earths would be an impracticable exercise. Ministry experts are carrying out ecological studies of fox populations, their habits and movements for application in our contingency plans to deal with any rabies outbreak in wildlife. Our plans also include co-operation with local authorities and local wildlife experts in order to make use of their specialist knowledge in any rabies infected area should fox destruction become necessary.