§ 49. Mr. Elwyn Jonesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the nature of the survey of the extent to which food is contaminated with pesticide; what samples have been taken; where they were obtained; what have been the results of the survey; and whether he will publish a report upon it.
§ Mr. Scott-HopkinsStudies to determine whether there are pesticide residues in home-produced and imported foodstuffs, and, if so, their extent, are conducted by the Panel on Pesticides Residues in Foodstuffs. I am sending the hon. and learned Member a copy of the recently published Report on the Advisory Committee on Poisonous Substances used in Agriculture and Food Storage on the persistent organochlorine pesticides; Section III contains a summary of the results obtained so far as regards these pesticides, and an indication of the further studies that are proposed. The Panel has also examined residues of certain organophosphorous chemicals and of lead arsenate in certain imported fruit and cereals, and the results of these studies and of those which the Panel will be conducting in the future will be published in due course.