Crop Spraying

HC Deb 31 January 1984 vol 53 cc136-7W

Mr. Skeet

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what acreage of farm land in the United Kingdom is sprayed annually by pesticides by (a) air and (b) land vehicles; and what is the tonnage used.

Mrs. Fenner

Pesticides usage data for any year reflect variable factors such as the incidence of weeds, pests and diseases, and climatic conditions. Over recent years, an estimated average of 29,000 tonnes of active ingredient have been applied annually to some 18 million spray hectacres in agriculture and forestry in Great Britain, of which about 3 per cent. have been treated by aerial application.

Mr. Skeet

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food over the past 10 years, how many objections have been recorded by his Department about aerial crop spraying due to spray drift on adjoining properties; and how many prosecutions have been undertaken arising from such incidents.

Mrs. Fenner

Details of objections received by my Department during the period in question are not readily available. I am advised that a central record is kept by the Civil Aviation Authority, which, together with the Health and Safety Executive, has responsibility for statutory action.

Mr. Skeet

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisified that the aerial spraying of pesticides does not give rise to adverse effects on the quality of water for the public supply.

Mrs. Fenner

Yes. Potential risks to public water supplies are assessed under the pesticides safety precautions scheme before any product is cleared specifically for aerial application. Operators are required to take account of such risks at the reconnaissance stage of an operation; and, as foreshadowed by the Government on 21 December 1983^*, their manuals will in future reflect the need to consult the water authority at that stage whenever it is proposed to spray on land immediately adjacent to open water or to control weeds in or near water. ^* Department of the Environment Pollution Paper No. 21(1983), "Agriculture and Pollution" — the Government response to the seventh report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution.