§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what evidence they based their statement that. "it is not impossible to contain crayfish in a fish farm" when they have no record of the number or location of fish farms stocked with the signal crayfish (pacifasticus leniusculus) in the United Kingdom, and no record of any such farm that has succeeded in preventing any escape of the signal crayfish to the wild.
§ The Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Belstead)In my reply to the noble Lord on 9th November I emphasised that,
while it is not impossible to contain crayfish in a fish farm, to do so requires special equipment, specially designed ponds and careful management".This statement was made on the basis of scientific advice available to me. The absence of information on whether any farm in the United Kingdom has in practice succeeded in preventing the escape of the signal crayfish to the wild does not invalidate the view that it should be possible to do so if appropriate precautions are take