§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice his Department provides to farmers on the disposal of organophosphate dips; and if he will make a statement.[23190]
§ Mrs. BrowningAdvice on disposal of organophosphorus sheep dips is given in the "Sheep dipping" booklet, AS29, published by the Health and Safety Executive, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Department of the Environment. In 1994, copies of this leaflet were sent to all known sheep farmers in England and, in a Welsh language edition, in Wales. My Department's "code of good agricultural practice for the protection of water," published in 1991, also contains a section on sheep dips. Copies of both documents are available in the Library of the House.
Advice on disposal is also included on the labels and product literature of organophosphorus sheep dips as part of the authorisation procedures for veterinary medicines.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions his Department has had with the organophosphate information network; and if he will make a statement. [23172]
§ Mrs. BrowningAs part of a series of meetings I have been holding with sufferers and sufferers groups this year, I met the leader of the organophosphate information 193W network—OPIN—on 23 February and discussed with her a number of matters relating to OP sheep dips. My officials are also in regular and frequent contact with OPIN on all aspects of the OP sheep dip issue.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to introduce a system of compensation for farmers suffering from organophosphate poisoning who cannot apply for industrial injury benefit; and if he will make a statement. [23175]
§ Mrs. BrowningI have no plans to introduce such a system. Questions of compensation are a matter between the individual and the company concerned.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance his Department provides to farmers on the wearing of protective suits when using organophosphate dips; and if he will make a statement. [23191]
§ Mrs. BrowningAdvice on the wearing of personal protective equipment, including protective suits, when using sheep dips, is contained in the "Sheep dipping" booklet, AS29 published jointly by the Health and Safety Executive, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Department of the Environment. The labels and product literature for organophosphorus sheep dips include advice on the precautions to be taken when using the products, including the wearing of protective clothing.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his Department's advice on the disposal of organophosphate dips conforms with the EC groundwater directive, and if he will make a statement. [23189]
§ Mrs. BrowningOne of the purposes of the "Sheep dipping" booklet, AS29, published jointly by my Department with the Health and Safety Executive, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the Department of the Environment, is to provide guidance to users of organophosphate sheep dips on the safe handling, use and disposal of these veterinary medicines.
§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what arrangements his Department
194W
Meat inspection staff employed by the MHS as at 27 March 1996 Region/Department Grade North Central South and East South West Wales Scotland Total Official veterinary surgeon Permanent 8 8 6 4 5 4 35 Temporary 1 1 2 0 0 0 4 Casual 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 Sub total 9 9 8 5 7 4 42 Senior authorised meat inspector Permanent 19 16 12 8 6 14 75 Temporary 0 1 0 1 1 0 3 Casual 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 Sub total 20 17 12 10 7 14 80 has made since 1992 to ensure that guidance note MS17 from the Health and Safety Executive is circulated to farmers; and if he will make a statement; [23186]
(2) is circulated to doctors; and if he will make a statement. [23528]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordI have been asked to reply.
For farmers and doctors in general, none, though at the time of publication in 1981 and revisions in 1986 and 1987, it was distributed to a wide variety of relevant journals and publications in the medical, agricultural, horticultural, livestock and forestry fields, in addition to general health and safety and chemical industry publications.
Guidance note MS17 is a specialised document aimed at occupational hygienists and doctors responsible for biological monitoring programmes under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. Most general practitioners do not specialise in occupational hygiene and do not generally need the detailed information provided in MS 17.