§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he will take to protect barn owls in West Dorset against unintentional poisoning by pesticides. [51671]
§ Mr. RookerThe risk to non-target plants and animals, including barn owls, is carefully evaluated before any pesticide is approved for use. Approval is granted only if the risk is sufficiently small, and users are required to follow strict instructions for use which are printed on every product's label.
The need to follow these instructions is emphasised in the Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Pesticides on Farms and Holdings (the "Green Code") which was comprehensively revised and re-issued on 26 March this year. The Code also provides specific advice on the precautions that should be taken to safeguard wildlife and the environment.
We run the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme to monitor the impact of the use of agricultural pesticides. Anyone who believes that a wild animal has been unintentionally poisoned by pesticides should report the facts using the freephone number 0800 321 600 so that the incidents can be investigated.