§ Mr. Farrasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many new chemical products were submitted for prior testing and approval under the Government scheme relating to the safe use of chemicals in agriculture and horticulture in each of the last five years; and how many in each year failed to secure such approval.
§ Mr. StrangThe pesticides safety precautions scheme, to which the hon. Member refers, is concerned with the clearance not only of particular products but of specific purposes for which they may be used. The following statistics exclude industrial uses of pesticides, for example, for timber preservation, proofing of carpets and so forth.
PESTICIDLS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS SCHEME: DECISIONS REACHED ON APPLICATIONS RECEIVED 1973–77 Decisions Applications received With drawn Refused Clearance granted* 1973 518 1 14 503 1974 504 3 7 494 1975 562 12 12 538 1976 699 5 11 683 1977 847† 3 4 828 * In all years, the majority of clearances were of a restricted nature, e.g. for manufacturers' field trials, for application over a limited area or for use during a limited period. † Includes 12 applications on which no decision has yet been reached.
§ Mr. Farrasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the German chemical Hostathion supplied by Hoechst (UK) Ltd. for use on oil seed rape has received prior approval under the Government scheme relating to the safe use of chemicals in agriculture and horticulture; if so, on what date it was submitted for approval; where trials took place; when it received clearance; and 334W if he will list any restrictions which may have been placed upon its use.
§ Mr. StrangClearance for ground spraying of this crop with this product was granted on 1st June 1977, following receipt of an application by the company dated 25th February 1977. This clearance reflected the experience gained from trials on related crops both in the United Kingdom, notably in Bedfordshire, and in Western Germany. The prescribed safeguards took in the existing legal obligation on those handling the concentrated product to wear the appropriate protective clothing, and included labelling requirements drawing attention to risks to animals, fish, bees and wild life generally.
For aerial spraying, the company's related application was dated 28th January 1977, but no comparable general clearance was granted for this. Limited clearance, confined to one season and to a maximum of 1,000 hectares, was granted on 18th March 1977 under the special regulations governing aerial spraying, and this was subject to a condition that spraying should be carried out at the green bud stage or after flowering. In the light of experience with this restricted operation, a similar limited clearance was granted on 12th May 1978 for a further season and a maximum of 5,000 hectares; but this was subsequently withdrawn in the circumstances described in the reply given to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Kimball) on 4th July 1978.—[Vol. 953, c. 123.]