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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the current adequacy of (a) regulation of fipronil and imidacloprid products, (b) (i) methods and (ii) scale of publication and promotion of Health and Safety regulations for handing fipronil products, with specific relevance to their visibility to pet owner and (c) regulations around remedies for pets in respect of their requirements to have a full Environmental Impact Assessment under the relevant legislation.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) authorises veterinary medicinal products under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013 (as amended) to protect public health, animal health, the environment, and promote animal welfare. This involves ensuring medicines are approved only when their benefits outweigh any potential risks.

For pet owner safety, all veterinary medicines undergo a comprehensive User Risk Assessment before market authorisation. Clear safety warnings are included in product literature to minimise risks during proper use. These risks are also considered against the consequences of not using such medicines, such as the spread of flea- and tick-borne diseases, which can impact both pets in terms of parasitic disease and humans because of the public health issues of disease transference (zoonotic disease).

Environmental safety is also considered during authorisation. While current international guidelines assume minimal environmental exposure from companion animal medicines, the VMD now believes there is sufficient evidence to support a review of these guidelines, despite existing data gaps. The VMD have established the cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group, whose aim is to provide advice on possible policy options to help reduce pharmaceutical pollution in the UK, including disposal. An immediate priority for the PiE Group is to develop a strategy to reduce the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid being detected in UK surface water.