§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent302W discussions she has had with representatives of the farming industry on reduction of the use of pesticides. [73199]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government is committed to minimising the adverse effects of pesticides. This includes the development and promotion of ways in which farmers can limit their pesticide use. In spring 2001 we invited the industry to implement theVoluntary Initiative—a package of measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact of pesticides. The Government is keeping the progress of the Voluntary Initiative under review to assess whether it is delivering real environmental benefits. DEFRA Ministers met with farming and other representatives in May to discuss progress.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has had from environmental groups on pesticide residues in food. [73201]
§ Mr. MorleyOfficials from the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), an executive agency of the Department, has received correspondence from various environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth (FoE) and Pesticides Action Network UK (PAN UK), on pesticide residues in food.
§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with(a) representatives of the food retail industry and (b) consumer representatives on pesticide residues in food.[73200]
§ Mr. MorleyOfficials from the Department meet regularly with representatives of the food retail industry and consumer representatives on pesticide residues in food, in various capacities. The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC), which oversees the Government's pesticide residues surveillance programme, held its first open meeting last year. Various organisations attended, including representatives from both the food retail industry and consumer groups. Details of the attendees are available on the PRC's website
www.pesticides.gov.uk/committees/PRC/prc.htmExamples of organisations my officials met with in the last year are the Chilled Food Association and the Infant and Dietetic Food Association.