ORGANO-CHLORINE PESTICIDES

HL Deb 09 December 1981 vol 425 cc1428-9WA

Lord Melchett

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the Advisory Committee on Pesticides last published a report on the use of the persistent organo-chlorine pesticides in Britain, and when do the Government expect their next report on this subject to be published.

Earl Ferrers

The last published report on these substances of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides was issued in 1969. Since then, the committee has continued to consider both the phasing out of these pesticides where suitable alternatives have become available, and their continued use in other cases. As a result, recommendations, which were issued under the Pesticides Safety Precautions Scheme, have been amended as necessary and data on their continued use have been published in my department's pesticide usage survey reports.

The Government are now considering a recommendation in the Seventh Report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution that the committee should publish periodic reports on its work, together with a further recommendation that it should review the total agricultural and industrial usage of organochlorine pesticides. Any report which the Government request in the light of the latter recommendation will be published.