§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the annual costs of running the rabbit eradication scheme were in its last years of operation; and how successful it was.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the grants which were available until 1972 to approved rabbit clearance societies. The cost to public funds of these grants in Scotland in each of the last three years of the scheme was as follows:
1969–70 … … … £70,338 1970–71 … … … £73,015 1971–72 … … … £112,634 These grant arrangements were intended to provide an incentive for the development of rabbit control measures on a co-operative basis by occupiers of land on whom the statutory responsibility for such control rests. The scheme was successful in stimulating an awareness of the advantages of concerted action, but many societies had ceased active operation before the termination of the scheme, possibly due to an over-dependence on myxomatosis to eradicate rabbits.
§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received concerning recent increases in the rabbit population in Scotland; what financial and other estimates he has of the agricultural damage at present being caused by these rabbits; and if he intends to reintroduce a compulsory eradication scheme.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownA number of representations have been received in recent months about the damage being caused to agricultural land by rabbit infestation and on the need for stricter enforcement measures. I have also had useful discussions with the main land use organisations at their request to consider how best this problem can be dealt with. It is impossible to make any meanful estimate of the agricultural damage caused by rabbits. The effective con-172W trol of rabbits depends on the co-operative efforts of occupiers, on whom the statutory responsibility of controlling infestations of rabbits and other pests lies. I have no proposals for introducing compulsory measures at the present time but I am keeping the position under review in the light of periodic surveys of the rabbit population carried out by my Department.