§ Lord HALEasked Her Majesty's Government:
- (i) what regulations cover the spraying of pesticides of high dioxin content, and whether they accept the necessity for stricter control;
- (ii) whether they have now considered the dangers inherent in the spraying of dioxin by the Forestry Commission without advance notice to neighbouring owners and farmers or warning to pedestrians, and whether they will stop this practice;
- (iii) whether they have investigated the case reported in the national Press in October concerning the death of sheep and deaths and abortion of ewes of lambs with characteristic teratogenic
479 deformities in the spring of 1978 following spraying of dioxin in a field adjoining the sheep pasture in October 1977; and - (iv) whether it is accepted by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides that dioxin is a teratogenic toxic, and whether it is now also accepted that it is carcinogenic.
Earl FERRERSNo pesticides of high dioxin content are either manufactured, marketed or used in this country; and powers such as those available under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and the Consumer Safety Act 1978 could readily be used to deal with any change in this situation.
In all pesticide spraying operations it is the Forestry Commission's practice to observe the recommended precautions; and these are designed to ensure that no harm comes either to humans (whether as operators, consumers or members of the public); to domestic and farm animals; or, so far as possible, to wildlife and the environment generally.
The case to which the noble Lord refers has been investigated following representations to my right honourable friend based upon reports from the local Ecology Party and from the National Society for Crime Reduction and Social Justice (which is sponsored by the Church of Scientology). No evidence has reached my Department which gives any reason to suppose that the reported losses were caused by spraying of pesticides. In contrast there have long been published scientific data, which I am sending to the noble Lord, showing that domestic livestock have not suffered ill effects after 480WA grazing pasture sprayed with 2, 4, 5—T herbicide—nor, in the particular case of sheep, after being fed 481 daily doses of 100 mg/kg of 2, 4, 5-T. There are other published data revealing that foetal abnormalities have not been produced in various species including sheep.
The Advisory Committee's inquiries have been concerned with what levels of dioxin, if any, would be acceptable in pesticides used in this country, whether in terms of teratogenic, carcinogenic or any other risks. On this, I would refer the noble Lord to paragraph 25 of the recent report by the Advisory Committee concerning the safety for use in the United Kingdom of the herbicide 2, 4, 5-T. This records their conclusion that its use as directed poses no risk provided that any dioxin level does not exceed the 0.1 mg/kg safety limit recognised by the United Nation's World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation.