HC Deb 26 April 1995 vol 258 cc544-6W
Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the cases in which the Advisory committee on Pesticides has been consulted in each of the last five years, and what subsequent action was taken. [20065]

Mrs. Browning

Ministers are required by the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 to consult the Advisory Committee on Pesticides on approvals they propose to give or revoke, on the conditions to be attached to approvals and on regulations to be made under the Act. Ministers also consult the committee on other current pesticides issues.

Consequently the committee has discussed many matters at its 28 meetings over the period 1990 to 1994. Details of these discussions and their outcomes are set out in the committee's annual reports, copies of which are in the House Library.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health regarding pesticides and animal treatments and their effect on the food chain, and what action resulted. [20066]

Mrs. Browning

My right hon. Friends the Minister and the Secretary of State for Health are among the Ministers responsible for the regulation of pesticides and have close contact on such matters. These contacts feed into decisions on individual applications for approval of pesticides and into the shaping of policy.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what guidance Her Majesty's Government offer on the minimum level for pesticide usage for effective pest control, at what interval this level is reviewed; and what investigations are made to decide it. [20067]

Mrs. Browning

Guidance on minimising pesticide use is provided through the code of practice on the safe use of pesticides on farms and holdings through ADAS and other advisory services. The guidance promotes, in particular, the better targeting of pesticide applications and the use of reduced application rates in appropriate cases. A wide-ranging research programme supports the Government's pesticide minimisation policy. Guidance is kept under constant review in the light of results from the research programme.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the European Union regime for regulating pesticides, and how this correlates with his Department's procedures. [20068]

Mrs. Browning

Directive 91/414/EEC provides a framework for the harmonisation of national regimes for agricultural pesticides; a framework directive for other pesticides is under negotiation. Under directive 91/414/EEC, active substances will be authorised, or not, by the Community as a whole. Products containing these active substances will be regulated by individual member states who will carry out their evaluations on the basis of agreed "Uniform Principles". Both the UK and EC systems place paramount importance upon human safety, and protecting the environment. Both base decisions on the evaluation of appropriate scientific data and the two systems are of comparable rigour in terms of the data required and the manner in which they are evaluated.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what procedures are adopted to investigate the veracity of company data when submitted for approval of a pesticide. [20069]

Mrs. Browning

Companies are required to satisfy themselves of the veracity of their data before submitting them. It is an offence under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 knowingly or recklessly to provide false information or to withhold a material fact. Those evaluating pesticides are alert to inconsistencies in the data package provided or between the data submitted and those which might be expected based on experience with similar active substances or formulations. Experimental toxicity data to support submissions for approval of new pesticides must be generated in accordance with good laboratory practice—GLP. GLP involves regular internal checks and reviews and facilities operating to GLP are subject to independent inspection for compliance.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the specific criteria used by his Department before approval of a pesticide. [20070]

Mrs. Browning

The key aims of the approvals system are that proper use of the pesticide carries no unacceptable risk to human health or to the environment and that the product is efficacious. The pursuit of these aims requires the examination of a number of issues including mammalian toxicity, operator exposure, pesticide chemistry, behaviour and toxicity in the environment and residue levels in food. Specific data relating to all relevant matters are required from the applicant company and evaluated according to best current standards and protocols.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to commission his Department to study the possible connections between the use of pesticides and allergies and other medical problems. [20071]

Mrs. Browning

Companies applying for pesticide approvals must provide fully researched data which addresses potential allergic and other medical effects in pesticide users and food consumers. These data are rigorously evaluated before any approval is given.

The chemical nature of pesticides and the fact that consumers are exposed only to very low levels mean that the risk of allergic reaction to pesticide residues is low compared with food allergens. Therefore, MAFF's continuing research concerned with allergies and intolerances will concentrate on foods rather than on pesticides.

There will, however, continue to be projects which examine allergic responses or other medical issues at a general level and which assist with the development of risk assessment techniques used in pesticide evaluation. MAFF will also continue to draw on public results of research carried out by other bodies throughout the world.