§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to increase invertebrate monitoring in rivers during summer months to identify serious insecticide pollution. [163079]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 24 March 2004]: The Environment Agency currently monitors 6,000 sites for invertebrates, covering a network of just under 40,000 km of river. Sites are sampled on a three-year rolling programme such that each year two samples are taken from a third of the sites. These samples are timed to give a good picture of the invertebrate population.
1025WThe Environment Agency and the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) have recently commenced a research project to establish whether the actual use of agricultural pesticides, including insecticides, is causing unacceptable adverse effects on aquatic invertebrates and plants. The project will include intensive chemical and biological sampling of identified higher risk rivers and streams. This will provide field-based evidence on whether the way that plant protection products are currently approved and used is sufficiently protective of the aquatic environment.