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Written question asked by Jayne Kirkham (Labour) on Monday, 9 February 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2026 (named day). It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Friday, 13 February 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Pets: Insecticides

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the VMD has made with its roadmap to help address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways.

Answer

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) leads the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group and is taking forward a programme of work to address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways. In response to detections of fipronil and imidacloprid above toxicity thresholds for aquatic invertebrates, the VMD published a roadmap setting out planned actions.

Progress includes holding the first PiE stakeholder workshop in Summer 2025, commissioning research on pet owner behaviours and exposure modelling, and working with environment agencies to improve monitoring data consistency. The VMD is also undertaking an evidence‑based review of the legal distribution categories for products containing these substances and contributing to international work to consider updates to environmental risk assessment approaches.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
112006
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Contamination Inland waterways Pets Insecticides
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk