§ Mr. Kimballasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will revise the regulations in relation to the protection of bees from damage by crop spraying and bring them into line with those currently in operation in the EEC.
§ Mr. StrangThere are no Community provisions on this, although member States apply varying safeguards, either nationally or regionally. The present regimes in this country aim to minimise any loss of bees, and this applies equally to the official clearance and recommended uses of products, to the development of local liaison arrangements between farmers, agricultural contractors and bee keepers concerned with spraying, and to the Ministry's advisory work and seasonal publicity. These regimes, and especially the regulations governing aerial spraying, are kept under constant review; and as recently as last month, limited clearance for a probationary aerial use of one pesticide was withdrawn following evidence of undue risks to bees.