§ Lord Carterasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether adjuvants enable farmers to minimise pesticide use and reduce the cost of crop production.
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Howe)Under the United Kingdom's approval system, adjuvants are not evaluated for efficacy and it is not possible therefore to verify claims made for a particular product. The decision on whether or not to use an adjuvant is one for the individual grower who will need to consider the combined effectiveness of the pesticide and adjuvant and their comparative costs.
§ Lord Carterasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the extension of EC Directive 91/414/EEC to include adjuvants and whether such inclusion will be on the same basis as formulants and tank mixes of pesticides.
Earl HoweDirective 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market provides for mutual recognition by member states of product authorisations where the product has been evaluated to harmonised safety criteria. The Government believe it would be appropriate for the Community to harmonise the evaluation and authorisation procedures for adjuvants, which are used closely with pesticide products. The Commission has yet to make a formal proposal to amend the directive to this effect. The provisions of any amendment would require agreement by the Council of Ministers.