Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect farmers against new strains of potato blight.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a holistic approach that carefully considers all available plant protection methods and keeps the use of pesticides to levels that are ecologically and economically justified. IPM lies at the heart of our approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides and is a key tool for businesses facing the challenges of pesticide resistance, removal of pesticides from the market, and changing pest pressures due to climate change. Within the National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (NAP) we will set out our policies to increase the uptake of IPM by farmers, growers, amenity managers and amateur gardeners.

Having an IPM approach can reduce the risks associated with pesticides, combat pesticide resistance, and support sustainable agricultural productivity. IPM aims to diversify crop protection and reduce reliance on the use of chemical pesticides by making use of lower risk alternatives and promoting natural processes. For example, creating habitats for natural predators of plant pests, or using crop rotations to break pest, weed and disease cycles. When alternative methods are ineffective or unavailable, IPM also aims to optimise and minimise the use of chemical pesticides through targeted and precise application.

We have recently commissioned a package of research projects that will bring together scientific evidence underpinning IPM and to look at ways of further encouraging its uptake. This work will support farmers’ access to the most effective IPM tools available and ensure that we understand changing trends in pest threats across the UK.

Defra is also a partner in the European Research Area Network (ERA-Net) Co-Fund on Sustainable Crop Production (SusCrop). This research network aims to enhance cooperation and coordination of different national and regional research programmes focussing on agriculture and climate change, sustainable farming systems and biodiversity, sustainable water management, resource efficiency and resilience in the food chain. It also seeks to increase productivity through technological innovation.

Projects within SusCrop ERA-Net include: ‘Eco-friendly solutions for the integrated management of late and early blight of potatoes (ECOSOL)’ which aims to Identify Effective Biological Control Agents and Plant Resistance Inducers for the Control of Potato Late Blight in the field.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Health and Safety Executive’s proposal to withdraw approval for (a) Mancozeb and (b) other multi-site fungicides.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is aware of the concerns of GB potato growers about the Health and Safety Executives’ (HSE) proposed decision to withdraw approval of mancozeb. GB pesticides legislation requires that decisions on active substances are solely based on careful scientific assessment of risks, to provide a high level of protection for people and the environment.

HSE has reviewed the approval of mancozeb. In light of new scientific and technical information received, HSE has concluded that the active substance no longer satisfies the approval criteria. The review concluded that mancozeb has endocrine disrupting properties for humans and non-target organisms. In addition, non-dietary exposure exceeded the reference levels. HSE has therefore proposed to withdraw approval of mancozeb in GB. The withdrawal of products containing mancozeb will not be immediate; we expect HSE to set an 18-month grace period (six months for sale and supply, and 12 months after that for storage, disposal and use) to allow existing stocks in the supply chain to be used up.

Under certain circumstances, set out in Article 53 of Assimilated Regulation 1107/2009, it is possible to grant emergency authorisation for the placing on the market of a pesticide containing an active substance that is not approved. There must be special circumstances where limited and controlled use is necessary because of a danger to crops, other plants or the environment, including human or animal health, that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means.

We are not aware of any HSE proposal to withdraw any other multi-site fungicide.

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Found: attend ance : • Alan Brown MP • Christine Jard ine MP • Mark Menzies MP • Ms Anum Qaisar MP • Douglas

Found: Q22 Douglas Ross: Mr Rycroft, can I start with you?

Found: Q409 Douglas Ross: Good afternoon, Mr Macleod.

Found: Q409 Douglas Ross: Good afternoon, Mr Macleod.

Found: Q409 Douglas Ross: Good afternoon, Mr Macleod.

Found: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party, Airdrie and Shotts) (added 18 Sep 2023) 9 of 14 (64.3%) Douglas

Found: Douglas Ross: Good afternoon to our witnesses.

Found: I will also state unlike both you and Mr Matheson, inform you I have copied this letter into Douglas

Found: (HY) • Mairi McAllan MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition (MM) • Douglas

Found: Presiding Officer, I am very grateful to Douglas Ross, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Anas Sarwar and Lorna Slater

Found: For example, see exchanges between Douglas Ross MSP and Keith Brown MSP on 30 April 2024 (cols 3 to 5