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 reduce (a) agricultural and (b) horticultural pesticide use.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) lies at the heart of our approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides. IPM is a holistic approach that promotes a range of plant protection methods and keeps the use of pesticides to levels that are ecologically and economically justified.

The UK Pesticides National Action Plan will be published next year and will set out the government’s strategy for sustainable use of pesticides.