HL Deb 01 February 2000 vol 609 cc22-3WA
The Countess of Mar

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they intend to make generally available the advice they have received from the British Embassy in Paris and circulated to all staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that three-quarters of drinking water resources in Brittany have excessive pesticide levels. [HL727]

Baroness Hayman

On 9 March 1999 the French Environment Ministry published a report on the environmental impact of agriculture. The newspaperLe Monde discussed the report on 12 March and, amongst other things, quoted it as saying that three-quarters of fresh water sources in Britanny contained excessive pesticide levels. A summary of the Le Monde article was passed to MAFF by the British agricultural attaché in Paris and posted, as is standard practice, on the Ministry's Intranet.

The Government have sought clarification from the French authorities. They have confirmed that levels of pesticides in drinking water supplied to the public in Brittany do not, and did not, constitute a risk to health. The Government have no other information over and above that included in the Le Monde article.