Written question asked by Barry Sheerman (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 April 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 April 1998. It was answered by Angela Eagle (Labour) on Monday, 20 April 1998 on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, what steps his Department is taking to control the spread of wild mink in the United Kingdom.

Answer: Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department is taking to control the spread of wild mink in the United Kingdom. [38877] Angela Eagle: Mink are controlled in the UK, by and large, by individual landowners. In the 1960s Agriculture Departments carried out an eradication scheme by means of an extensive trapping campaign. The campaign ceased in 1970 when it was accepted that feral mink had become too well established and widespread for eradication to be possible. There are no plans at present for such a scheme to be revived, as any such campaign would be very unlikely to succeed.

Secondary information