---

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason pesticides still hold provisional approval after five years; what the longest period is for which a pesticide has held provisional approval; and what she estimates the total tonnage used in the UK of pesticides provisionally approved in each category to be in the most recent year for which figures are available. [145176] Alun Michael: All pesticides must meet a minimum standard of safety and efficacy before any approval is given, provisional or otherwise. Provisional approvals are given in order for confirmatory data to be provided for example in areas such as efficacy. The precise requirements and time allowed for the generation of those data vary depending on individual products. The product that has held provisional approval status for the longest time was first given that status in 1988. Safe use of the product was established, but confirmatory efficacy data were required for full approval. Consequently, a series of different provisional approvals were issued in response to separate applications for approval concerning changes to the product label and its intended uses. The most recent estimates of the total tonnage of all provisionally approved pesticides used in the UK (in 2002) are as follows. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Category Tonnage (active ingredient) Fungicides 1,285 Growth regulators 394 Herbicides 3,029 Insecticides 59 Molluscicides 87 Others 1 Total 4,854 _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

416 c631-2W;416 c629-30W; 145176

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Licensing Hormone treatments Pesticides Safety Insecticides Fungicides Weedkillers

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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