§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture. Fisheries and Food whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the proportion of total United Kingdom output of cereals, sugar beet, oilseed rape, milk, sheep, beef, pigs and poultry accounted for by the largest 10 per cent. of holdings for the year 1984, together with the estimated cost of the EEC budget of that production, calculated pro rata, including subventions to sugar, sugar in the case of sugar beet and taking into account the cost of export restitutions.
§ Mr. MacGregorThe precise data on shares of output sought by the hon. Member is not readily available. I have however, set out below information on farms which account for approximately 10 per cent. of area in the case of crops and of herds or flocks in the case of livestock. It is not possible to calculate expenditure financed by the EAGGF for this production.
aerial spraying means, and what safeguards are required before the use of broad spectrum herbicides such as glyphosphate is approved for aerial application.
§ Mrs. FennerIn clearing pesticides specifically for aerial use account is taken of their likely effect on people and animals, non-target crops and the environment in general. Clearance for aerial application on a commercial scale would not be granted for products where this assessment identified a potential risk. In this way only the less toxic, less active or less persistent chemicals have been granted clearance for aerial application. Broad spectrum herbicides, such as glyphosphate, have not been given commercial clearance for aerial application although limited clearances for aerial application in forestry areas have been granted from time to time subject to strict controls.
Following discussions in Committee on the Food and Environment Protection Bill the Advisory Committee on Pesticides has been asked to review the current list of products cleared for aerial application.