Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to stop the accidental poisoning of wildlife.

Defra itself is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect unlawful poisoning. Defra also provides funding for England’s Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme which determines the underlying cause of death of wildlife where illegal use of rodenticides is suspected.

To help ensure wildlife is not accidentally poisoned, Defra would advise anyone managing rodents to consider a range of effective, alternative methods to rodenticides including elimination of harbourage, food and water. Spring traps and live capture traps are also inexpensive, reusable and widely available.