§ Mr. LazarowiczTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will promote international measures to reduce the risk to rural workers in developing countries caused by the hazardous use of pesticides. [27435]
§ Clare ShortWe fully support the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC), and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) which create a framework and promote political will to tackle the problems that poor management and hazardous use of pesticides pose to health, the environment and livelihoods in developing countries.
DFID also supports the revised Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)'s International Code of Conduct on the Distribution of Use of Pesticides, which provides a widely accepted framework of good practice relating to pesticide management. DFID complies with the OECD Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC)'s Guidelines for Aid Agencies on Pest and Pesticide Management.
DFID does not supply pesticides to developing countries through its programmes (except in emergency conditions such as locust plagues) or support pesticide subsidies. DFID promotes the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which was recognised in UNCED Agenda 21 as the preferred approach to crop protection for development programmes. IPM provides a means to promote crop protection strategies with minimal external inputs, and maximum consideration for the sustainability and better understanding of production systems, integrity 5W of the environment, and safety of the producer and consumer. By reducing the need for pesticide applications through the use of pest-resistant crop varieties, natural enemies and cultivation techniques, IPM has increased the sustainability of farming and ecological systems at minimal cost and reduced health risks to farmers.
More information is available in a key-sheet for sustainable livelihoods on IPM (co-funded by DFID) from DFID or at the website address: http://www.odi.org.uk/ keysheets/ipm/pdf.