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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) herbicide mixes and (b) levels of application per hectare she proposes to permit for commercial cultivation of GM maize; and whether these differ from the levels used in the farm scale evaluations. [136807] Mr. Morley: [holding answer 6 November 2003]: All pesticide products are approved on an individual basis. Only when we are satisfied that a pesticide is safe for the proposed use will approval for that use be granted. Growers may only use approved herbicides in a mixture in compliance with the statutory conditions of approval for each of the products. In practice throughout the farm scale evaluations growers used the herbicide glufosinate ammonium alone on the GM maize fields. The recommended individual and maximum permitted application rates of the herbicide glufosinate ammonium used on GM maize in the farm-scale evaluations were defined by the conditions of the simulated product licence that formed part of the experimental pesticide approval. This specified a maximum permitted rate of 8 litres per hectare and a recommended individual rate of 4 litres per hectare, depending on the weeds present and their growth stage. Application was permitted until the nine-leaf stage of maize. Before glufosinate ammonium could be used on a commercial scale on GM maize it would need full pesticide approval. In seeking approval the necessary data package would have to be supplied by the applicant and be subjected to the considerations of human and environmental safety which have been established for all pesticide uses. Any approval given would specify recommended and maximum application rates in the same way as the experimental permit. These conditions would be determined by the Pesticide Safety Directorate taking due account of advice from their expert advisory committee the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. Where appropriate we shall be seeking to specify the management systems for the cultivation of GM crops through the conditions imposed with the consent.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

136807; 413 c412-3W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Crops Genetically modified organisms Pesticides Research Weedkillers

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk