§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance his Department issues to fruit growers regarding the prevention of damage caused by bullfinches. [18365]
§ Mrs. BrowningAdvice to fruit growers regarding the prevention of damage caused by bullfinches is provided, on request, by ADAS (Statutory), the Ministry's wildlife adviser. The basis of the advice is that, wherever possible, non-lethal means of preventing any damage, for example the use of netting or fine threads spread over trees, should be used. Advice on longer-term measures, such as future planting strategies to reduce the risk of damage, would also be available.
§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many individual licences have been issued by his Department for the killing or taking or bullfinches since the restriction on general licences to the county of Kent; and how many bullfinches have been killed or trapped during that period. [18364]
§ Mrs. BrowningOne individual licence has been issued since the restriction on the general licence to kill or take bullfinches to the county of Kent came into effect on 1 November 1996. The licensee is not required to submit details of the number of bullfinches killed or taken until after the licence has expired. As the licence is still in force, this information is not yet available.
§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what data he has collated on the damage to fruit orchards by bullfinches; how those data were gathered; and how often the situation is reviewed. [18366]
§ Mrs. BrowningPast evidence and the best advice currently available to the Ministry are that bullfinches can cause serious damage to fruit orchards; this can happen very quickly and is often unpredictable. The Ministry's experience in dealing with problems caused by bullfinches has shown that whole trees can be affected, resulting in total crop losses. The situation is kept under continual renewal.
§ Mr. BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many bullfinches have been killed or taken under general licences issued by his Department in each of the past five years; [18367]
(2) what data he has collated on the number of bullfinches killed or taken under general licence in Kent in each of the past five years. [18368]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe information requested is set out below.
Number of bullfinches killed or taken Year Within all areas in England covered by the general licence, including Kent Within the County of Kent 1991–92 433 341 1992–93 620 567 1993–94 326 312 1994–95 262 262 1995–96 317 317