Mr. Gareth R. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he is taking to encourage a reduced use of pesticides. [141027]
§ Mr. MullinThe Department (together with MAFF's Pesticides Safety Directorate) provides the secretariat for the Pesticides Forum which brings together organisations with an interest in the use of pesticides and their impact. The Forum's primary purpose is to advise on and promote responsible pesticide use. The Government have been exploring with the agrochemical industry whether the objective of minimising the adverse environmental impact of pesticide use could be achieved through a partnership approach. The industry has proposed a package of voluntary measures, but the Government believe these still fail to meet a number of concerns raised in the recent consultation exercise. The Government would like to see further improvements and will be holding discussions with the Crop Protection Association on developing a more substantial package in the run up to Budget 2001.