§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for the last 10 years what research has been carried out by his Department in respect of crop fungicides alar, mancozeb, maneb and zineb; what results were obtained; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Department does not generally conduct research into individual pesticides. Stringent evaluations are carried out before products are approved for use, based on criteria laid down by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP). The safety in use of pesticides once approved is ensured by a wide ranging surveillance of pesticide residues in food, and monitoring of incidents involving wildlife, the results of which are published. The ACP reviews approved products causing concern; the substances listed were reviewed by the committee within the last 12 months but found to present no danger to health. The detailed evaluations supporting these findings have been made public.
§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consultation his Department has had with the United States Environmental Protection Agency in respect of crop fungicides alar, mancozeb, maneb and zineb; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Department maintains liaison with overseas regulatory authorities including the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In the case of daminozide (Alar) and the ethylene bisdithiocarbamates
680W
§ Mr. MacleanThe 1988 report of the environmental panel of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides will be published during the second quarter of this year, while that for 1989 is scheduled for publication during the autumn.