§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give details of all licences issued by her Department for the killing of birds protected under the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 during the last three years, specifying the number and species killed.
§ Mr. SoamesFigures for 1993 are not yet available. The number of licences issued for birds protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the years 1990 to 1992 and the number of birds killed are as follows.
1992 hectares 1993 hectares Five-year scheme 128,779 114,778 One-year scheme (applied in 1992 only) 12,192 — Arable area payments scheme (applied in 1993 only) — 501,120 Total area set aside 140,971 615,898 Just over 25,000 tonnes of pesticides and herbicides were used in England and Wales in 1992, but this figure includes quantities used for protected crops as well as for outdoor arable crops. The 1992 British survey of fertilizer practice indicates that the average application rate of organic fertilizers was 257 kg/ha. Comparable figures for 1993 are not yet available.