§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in relation to the pesticide DDT, he will (a) give his estimate of the amount of DDT which is still held on farms in the United Kingdom, (b) make arrangements for the collection and safe disposal of any remaining stocks of DDT on farms in the United Kingdom and (c) issue advice to farmers on the safe disposal of any remaining stocks of DDT on farms in the United Kingdom; when he expects to produce a revised version of MAFF booklet 2198 on guidelines for the disposal of unwanted pesticides and containers on farms and holdings; and whether the revised booklet will be made available throughout the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Donald Thompson[pursuant to his reply, 23 July 1987]: There should be no significant stocks of products containing the pesticide DDT on farms in the United Kingdom. The last permitted use was withdrawn in October 1984 after extensive notice, and since 6 October 1986 it has been an offence to store or use any pesticide in Great Britain which does not have an approval under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. It is the responsibility of the owner to dispose safely of unwanted pesticides.
Advice on disposal is given both in general terms and in specific cases. Farmers can ask suppliers to take back surplus pesticide. If this is not practicable the local authority may be asked to collect the pesticide. If the local authority is unable to do so, the name of a private contractor will be available either from the local authority or from the National Association of Waste Disposal Contractors.
MAFF booklet 2198 on guidelines for the disposal of unwanted pesticides and containers on farms and holdings 628W continues to be available while a statutory code of practice for Great Britain on the agricultural and horticultural use of pesticides is prepared under the provisions of part Ill of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985. The Great Britain code will be generally available when it is published during 1988. A separate code will be made for Northern Ireland.