§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review the assessment, approval and monitoring mechanisms for veterinary medicines and agricultural pesticides, with particular reference to organophosphate products; and if he will make a statement. [63662]
§ Mr. RookerAgricultural pesticides and veterinary medicines are already subject to rigorous approval systems as regards pesticides, under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 and the Plant Protection Products Regulations 1995 and, for veterinary medicines, the Medicines Act 1968 and the Marketing Authorisations for Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulations 1994.
In order to maintain the quality and consistency of the recommendations made to Ministers, both PSD and VMD continually seek to improve and develop supporting procedures, risk assessment and approval mechanisms. The Report to Ministers of the Official Group on OPs, published earlier this year, included a detailed examination of the regulatory (licensing) system for 410W pesticides and veterinary medicines which can be found in Chapter 6. The Official Group also noted that it had successfully improved the flow of information on all OP product related issues between Departments.
The statutory approval systems for pesticides and veterinary medicines are designed to ensure that these products can be used safely provided the manufacturers instructions are followed. Nevertheless, the Government are still concerned to make sure that the comprehensive arrangements for post-approval monitoring continue to be developed to ensure that nothing slips through the net. In addition, the variability conference held recently in York, which aimed at achieving a better understanding of variable residues of pesticides in food and the development of consumer risk assessment procedures, demonstrates the leading role we take internationally.
The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) advises Agriculture and Health Ministers on the safety, quality and efficacy of veterinary medicines. The VPC has advised on the safety of organophosphorus (OP) sheep dips, most recently on 17 February 1997. The VPC is currently carrying out a review of other veterinary medicinal products containing OPs and will report to Ministers in 1999. In addition we are undertaking a review of OP and other anticholinesterase pesticides approved under the Control of Pesticide Regulations 1986 as announced on 12 May 1998, Official Report, column 68.