Ammonium Nitrate (Hansard, 27 April 2004)

§ Linda Perham
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the regulation of the sale, storage and use of ammonium nitrate products. [165829]

§ Alun Michael
The potential hazards of ammonium nitrate (AN) are well-known and well-documented. The Government has already taken a number of measures to tighten controls in the general climate of heightened security, We need to balance the risks of potential misuse associated with AN against its clear and proven benefits in supporting food output in this country.
The Government has been working with the fertiliser industry to ensure the safe supply of Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertiliser. We have endorsed Industry Guidelines which advise producers and sellers of AN fertiliser to: sell only to known, bone fide customers, in particular those who have a credit account; refrain from making cash sales; ask questions to potential buyers of AN fertiliser to establish their knowledge of agriculture; in the case of suspicious enquiries, to record and notify the police of the purchaser's name and address (verified by documentary proof such as details from a driving licence) and full details of the enquirers vehicle, including the registration number.
We are continuing our dialogue with Industry and have invited them to produce a Code of Practice to encourage direct deliveries from manufacturers to farmers to shorten supply chains and ensure better traceability, Industry will also be working closely with the National Farmers Unions to remind farmers about the safe storage and use of AN.
To supplement these voluntary measures, the Government has taken a number of steps to tighten controls on AN: Defra has introduced regulations to control the supply of both home produced and imported AN. The regulations require AN fertiliser, with a high nitrogen content, including mixtures, to have satisfied a Detonation Resistance Test. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a self-help checklist to all those known to be handling or storing significant quantities of AN. The checklist has been distributed widely. It is aimed at spreading good practice and offering HSE as a source of further advice. Additionally, HSE has lowered the notification threshold under the Notification of Installations Handling Hazardous Substances Regulations 1982 from 500 to 150 tonnes and widened the range of products to be included in the notifications. Further measures will be taken if necessary.
858W

§ Mr. Hammond
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to ban the use of ammonium nitrate fertilisers for agricultural purposes. [166212]

§ Alun Michael
There are no current plans to ban the use of Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertilisers. The Government have already taken a number of measures to tighten controls on AN in the general climate of heightened security We need to balance the risks and potential misuse associated with AN against its clear and proven benefits in supporting food output in this country. Further measures will be taken if necessary.

§ Mr. Gordon Prentice
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to control the sale of ammonium nitrate; and if she will make a statement. [165836]

§ Alun Michael
The potential hazards of AN are well-known and well-documented. The Government has already taken a number of measures to tighten controls in the general climate of heightened security. We need to balance the risks of potential misuse associated with AN against its clear and proven benefits in supporting food output in this country.
The Government has been working with the fertiliser industry to control the supply of Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertiliser. We have endorsed Industry Guidelines which advise producers and sellers of AN fertiliser to: sell only to known, bone fide customers, in particular those who have a credit account; refrain from making cash sales; ask questions to potential buyers of AN fertiliser to establish their knowledge of agriculture; in the case of suspicious enquiries, to record the purchaser's name and address (verified by documentary proof such as details from a driving licence) and full details of the enquirers vehicle, including the registration number.
We are continuing our dialogue with Industry and have asked them to produce a Code of Practice to encourage direct deliveries from manufacturers to farmers to shorten supply chains and ensure better traceability.
To supplement the voluntary measures, Defra introduced regulations on 1 May 2003 to control the supply of both home produced and imported AN. The regulations require AN fertiliser, with a high nitrogen content, including mixtures, to have satisfied a Detonation Resistance Test. Further measures will be taken if necessary.