§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the chemicals licensed for the purpose of dipping sheep; and what research he has carried out into the effects of each of these chemicals, and the solutions contained in them, used for dipping sheep, on(a) humans, (b) soil and aquatic life and (c) sheep, with particular reference to genetic damage caused. [136207]
§ Ms QuinThe exact formulations of veterinary medicinal products are subject to commercial confidentiality. The only active ingredients authorised for use in sheep dips in the UK are diazinon, flumethrin, cypermethrin, high-cis cypermethrin and amitraz.
No veterinary medicine is authorised in the UK unless it meets statutory criteria for safety, quality and efficacy. This includes assessments of the risk to humans, to animals and to the environment. All of the active ingredients currently authorised for use in sheep dips have been through such assessments and have been shown to be non-genotoxic in a range of suitable assays.