Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Neonicotinoids

Thursday 22 April 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • DEFRA supports the precautionary principle in relation to pesticides.
  • DEFRA granted emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids in the current year.
  • Additional conditions were added to the emergency authorisations, including extending the period before a flowering crop can be sown.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Daniel Poulter Con
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

DEFRA's policy on the use of neonicotinoids was questioned.

Question

What is his Department's policy on the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture?

Answer from George Eustice

DEFRA applies the precautionary principle in relation to pesticides. We therefore supported a ban in 2018 on the use of neonicotinoids to treat crops. Given what the current science tells us about these pesticides, they can be authorised for use only on an emergency basis if very specific circumstances are met and with the appropriate environmental safeguards.

Answered
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Q2 Daniel Poulter Con
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Farmers in the east of England welcomed a dispensation allowing use of neonics to treat aphids, seeking reassurance that this would continue until an evidence-based alternative is available.

Question

What I want from the Secretary of State is some reassurance for the farmers in the east of England that, until a suitable alternative to neonics that is evidence based is available, he will continue to use the dispensation so that we can properly support our farmers to grow crops and protect them from aphids.

Answer from George Eustice

These are emergency authorisations that we grant on an annual basis. In the case of this application for the current year, we added additional conditions to those proposed by the applicant—in particular, adding another 10 months before a flowering crop could be sown and increasing the pest threshold.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assurance that emergency authorisation will continue until an evidence-based alternative is available was not provided.

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