§ 22. Ms QuinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department is currently undertaking into the use of pesticides on food crops. [31184]
§ Mrs. BrowningMAFF has a wide range of research related to the use of pesticides on food crops; the various elements of this research are designed to contribute both to the Government's policy objective that pesticide use should be limited to the minimum necessary for the effective control of pests compatible with the protection of human health and the environment, and to the improvement of the economic performance of the agriculture and horticulture industries. The recently published "MAFF Research Strategy 1995" sets out the Ministry's current strategy for research and provides a more detailed examination of the R and D programme in each sector.