§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the regulations under which aerial crop spraying is undertaken in the United Kingdom; and what provision is made for the protection of the public in general and adjoining owners in particular;
(2) whether he has approved the regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority affecting aerial crop spraying; and whether he is satisfied that the regulations provide for adequate monitoring to ensure compliance.
§ Mr. David MitchellArticle 40 of the Air Navigation Order 1930 states that crops may not be sprayed from aircraft otherwise than under, and in accordance with, the terms of an aerial application certificate granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. The authority is empowered to impose such conditions as it thinks fit, including conditions for ensuring that the aircraft and anything282W dropped from it does not endanger persons or property in the aircraft or elsewhere. These conditions, which do not require the approval of the Secretary of State for Transport, include requirements relating to the certificate holder's aerial application manual, which must contain instructions concerning pre-flight reconnaissance; prior notificaton of various persons (including as far as is practicable the occupants of buildings and the owners, or their agents, of livestock or susceptible crops on land adjoining the areas to be treated); and the provision of ground staff to warn members of the public. It is a further requirement that only substances approved for aerial application under the pesticides safety precautions scheme may be used.
The authority has all the powers it needs to monitor compliance with these requirements. It receives few complaints about spraying operations: only about 130 a year—less than one for every 1,100 operations flown.