§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will set up an inquiry into the use of Mevinphos to poison wildlife in the Lake District national park; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mrs. FennerNo. My Department already investigates all reported incidents in the Lake District national park, as elsewhere, involving the alleged poisoning of wildlife by this substance. Efforts will continue, in co-operation with the supplier, the police and organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, both to eradicate this deplorable practice and to secure prosecution of those who break the law in this way.
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the names of the companies which manufacture the insecticide Mevinphos in Great Britain.
§ Mrs. FennerMevinphos is not manufactured in Great Britain. It is imported from within the European Community by Shell Chemicals UK Limited for marketing here.
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) whether he will make a statement about the toxicity of Mevinphos towards wildlife and humans; and what regulations control its use;
(2) what controls exist over the sale and use of the insecticide Mevinphos; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. FennerThe sale of Mevinphos is controlled under the Poisons Act 1972 and related poisons rules, and by complementary measures operated by the United Kingdom supplier. Its use is restricted under the pesticides safety precautions scheme to the control of insect pests on non-edible, and a specific range of edible, crops. That scheme, together with the Health and Safety (Agriculture) (Poisonous Substances) Regulations 1975, prescribes such precautions as are necessary to ensure safety in use; and I am satisfied that, provided these precautions are followed, there should be no significant risk to humans or wildlife.
§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his Department has approved the use of Mevinphos as a wildlife poison; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. FennerNo. The use of Mevinphos for this purpose is an offence under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and the Protection of Birds Acts 1954–1967. New provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which are expected to come into effect shortly, will raise the maximum fine for offences of this kind to £1,000.