Pesticides (Hansard, 12 December 2002)

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the 451W (a) volume by weight and (b) total value of the export from the United Kingdom of pesticides produced in the United Kingdom, broken down by those which are (i) legal and (ii) illegal to use within the United Kingdom in each year since 1990. [86419]

§ Mr. Morley
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold any details in respect of the export of pesticides from Great Britain as such information is not required for the regulation of pesticides in this country.

§ Norman Baker
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations control United Kingdom companies'(a) production and (b) export of pesticides which would be classified as illegal to use within the European Union; what recent changes have taken place and are planned to these regulations; and if she will make a statement. [86420]

§ Mr. Morley
The United Kingdom's pesticide legislation does not extend to the manufacture of pesticides or to those pesticides intended solely for exportation from the United Kingdom. The fact that a pesticide may not be approved in this country does not, in itself, prevent companies from selling such products in another country. The product would, of course, have to comply with the other country's own legislation.
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure (PIC) for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, among other things, gives importing countries the choice to decide which hazardous chemicals they receive and exclude. At present the Convention covers 22 'banned' pesticides.
European Community Regulation 2455/92 concerning the export and import of dangerous chemicals provides for export notification procedures for other restricted substances and pesticides. Negotiations on a replacement for this regulation are in the final stages. I welcome these proposals which, as well as increasing the number of chemicals covered by the regulation, will also enable the European Community to approve the Rotterdam Convention and all member states to legally ratify it.