§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the scientific advisers to the Veterinary Products Committee who advised on organophosphorous sheep dips, and their employers; what evidence they gave; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. SoamesIn order to ensure an independent assessment of the dossiers supporting applications, the Veterinary Products Committee supplements its own expertise with advice from officials in the veterinary medicines directorate, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health, the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of the Environment. In respect of organophosphorous sheep dips, that advice has also included: an analysis of reports made under the suspected adverse reaction surveillance scheme; the results of an Health and Safety Executive survey of sheep dipping practice in the farming community; and the report of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides into diazinon's use as a pesticide. The committee has recently asked companies to supply further data by the end of the year on studies of farm operators, including blood tests and details of protective clothing worn, as well as studies to show which areas of the bodies of operators are most exposed.