§ Lord Tweedsmuirasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will state their policy regarding the production and use of DDT, dieldrin and allied compounds in view of their known toxic effects.
The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Earl Ferrers)The Advisory Committee on Pesticides recommended in their 1964 and 1969 reports that use of these persistent organochlorine compounds should be phased out as and when suitable alternatives became available. As with previous Administrations it is the Government's policy to implement the recommendations of this committee, and many uses in agriculture and food storage of these products have already ceased. Most of the remaining plant protection uses will be phased out from 1st January 1981 under the terms of European Community Directive 79/117.
974WAThe major industrial uses of dieldrin are in wood preservation and moth-proofing. I am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that its use is still permitted in these areas, which are also subject to the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act. Under the Pesticides Safety Precautions Scheme, uses of these compounds are kept under review. We are considering a recommendation by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution that there should be a review of the total agricultural and industrial use of these materials.