§ Mr. JackTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reasons the chemical CCC cannot be used by United Kingdom pear producers; and what investigations he is conducting in this matter. [27343]
Dr. John Cunningham[holding answer 5 February 1998]: The use of CCC (or chlormequat) on pears is not approved in the United Kingdom. An application for approval of this use was made on behalf of UK growers, but this was rejected in October 1995 because sufficient safety data was not provided.
Retail samples of pears were collected in 1997 as part of the annual surveillance programme for pesticide residues. These samples are being analysed for CCC and other pesticide residues and the results will be published later this year.