§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the information sought by the Veterinary Products Committee from the manufacturers and distributors of organophosphorous sheep dips104W includes the results of tests on humans before the products were licensed; whether this data was verified by an independent assessor; and when he expects to publish this information.
§ Mr. SoamesSection 118 of the Medicines Act 1968 prohibits the disclosure of information received in support of an application for a product licence. However, the Veterinary Products Committee has noted, as part of its current review of sheep dip licences, that certain aspects of the products and conditions of use need further evaluation, including studies of farm operators, including blood tests and details of protective clothing worn as well as studies to show which areas of the bodies of operators are most exposed. The companies concerned have been asked to provide additional data by the end of 1992.
The conclusions of the review will be published once it has been completed.
§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will suspend the use of organophosphorous sheep dips and the compulsory sheep scab eradication scheme until the Veterinary Products Committee's evaluation of the health side effects on operators is complete.
§ Mr. SoamesThe independent Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) has recently advised that, at present, there is no clear evidence that licensed organophosphorous sheep dips cause any unacceptable level of health risk to humans when used in accordance with the label instructions. On the basis of this advice I do not propose to suspend the licences for these products.
With regard to the compulsory sheep scab eradication scheme I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (Mr. Tredinnick) on 8 June at col. 12.