Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what grounds emergency applications for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides are granted.

George Eustice

Emergency authorisation is a procedure set out in law that allows for authorisation of a product, for a period not exceeding 120 days, for “limited and controlled use, where such a measure appears necessary because of a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means”.

All applications for emergency authorisation in the UK are decided according to these criteria. In the case of applications relating to restricted neonicotinoids, experts in the Health and Safety Executive and the Expert Committee on Pesticides assess the scientific data to consider the need for the pesticide, the adequacy of the proposed controls and the possible impacts on health and the environment. On the basis of this advice, Ministers will decide whether authorisations can be issued.