§ Mr. Ron DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what circumstances his Department authorises the use of alphacholoralose against wild birds; and how many such licences were granted in each of the last three years.
§ Mr. RyderUnder section 16(9)(d) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 my right hon. Friend is the appropriate authority for the purpose of issuing licences under section 16(1)(i), (j) and (k) of the Act for the use of prohibited methods to kill or take wild birds.
In practice my Department issues licences only to local authorities of competent pest control contractors and for a limited number of species. namely feral pigeon, house sparrows and in one case, herring gulls. The number of licences issued in the last three years were:
Number 1986 685 1987 738 1988 589