§ Mr. Lathamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is satisfied that effective checks can be made on the dioxin content of 2,4,5-T herbicides; whether studies are being made of current usage of these products; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WigginThe safety of these products is monitored by ensuring that any TCDD—or " dioxin "—content does not exceed the FAO specification of 0.1 mg/kg, which is the internationally recognised standard. All batches of 2,4,5-T itself are subject to analysis for this purpose. However the Advisory Committee on Pesticides has been concerned that any TCDD content should also be capable of effective measurement in formulated products. The Laboratory of the Government Chemist has now improved the sophisticated techniques needed for this purpose; and these have been refined to a point where TCDD can be measured at a level of less than 0.01 mg/kg of formulated product—as well as in the 2,4,5-T itself—that is one-tenth of the current FAO specification.
Now that we have this improved technique, and after consulting the chairman of the advisory committee, my right hon. Friend is today introducing a new maximum permitted level of 0.01 mg/kg of TCDD. It will apply equally to supplies of 2,4,5-T imported for formulation, and to formulated products marketed for use in the United Kingdom. The Laboratory of the Government Chemist has already tested samples of most products now retailed in this country against this stricter standard; and none has yet been found to exceed it.
Studies of pesticide usage are the responsibility of Departments concerned; and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has recommended that they could be improved by involving the other principal bodies concerned with collecting and using data of this kind. This new approach is being applied to 2,4,5-T herbicides for which my Department's earlier estimates of usage were based 268W only on information from main users like the Forestry Commission and local authorities and from those sectors like orchards where surveys had been completed. In particular, they excluded the recent and rising use of 2,4,5-T in herbicide mixtures for overall or spot treatment of grassland. As a first step I have just obtained from the British Agro-chemicals Association details of total sales for the United Kingdom market in the years 1977, 1978 and 1979, which were about 46, 51 and 58 tonnes of active ingredient respectively. These are not figures of amounts actually used, but they provide a base for a more reliable assessment of current usage which is now in hand; and for which organisations representing manufacturers, suppliers and users are being invited to provide data. Meantime, my hon. Friend will appreciate that the safety of these and all other pesticides is not affected by fluctuations in national usage; but I will inform the advisory committee of the progress of these studies and the results will be published in the normal way.
§ Mr. Chris Pattenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the Advisory Committee on Pesticides to report on the use of the weedkiller 2,4,5-T.
§ Mr. WigginIt is too early to say, as the committee will be concerned to examine in depth all the information, including case studies, which has reached it since its last review.