§ 18. Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has plans to introduce further controls on the manufacture and use of pesticides.
§ Mrs. FennerThe Government keep the pesticide safety controls under continuous review, in consultation wih all interests concerned, and modify them whenever necessary.
§ Mr. RossDoes the Minister agree that as the EC has ruled that the protection scheme that was run in Britain was against the EC free trade regulations, and given the tragic example of 2,4,5—T, there is now a need to introduce new, tougher regulations?
§ Mrs. FennerNo. In the light of the latest report from the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, the Government are satisfied that there are no medical or scientific grounds for such action. The Commission's objections relate to the competition implications of our safety arrangements and I am discussing with the Commission how its objections might be met.