Pesticides: Bees

(asked on 12th June 2015) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on the adoption by the European Commission of the proposed European Food Safety Authority guidance on the risk assessment of plant protection products on bees, published by that organisation in June 2013.


Answered by
George Eustice Portrait
George Eustice
This question was answered on 22nd June 2015

The Government protects bees by ensuring that policy actions on pesticides (plant protection products) are based on the best evidence available. Guidance documents for plant protection products are prepared by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), as the Commission’s independent scientific adviser. They are adopted by the Commission once they have been formally ‘noted’ by Member States in the EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed.

EFSA prepared a new Guidance Document on the risk assessment of plant protection products on bees. When this was put to the Standing Committee in July 2014, it was supported by too few Member States to be ‘noted’. The Commission is still considering the way forward.

Guidance documents for plant protection products are addressed to regulators and regulated companies. They are not statutory and are not incorporated into UK legislation. The Health and Safety Executive, as the UK regulator, and the Expert Committee on Pesticides, which provides independent advice to Ministers, draw on guidance documents in carrying out their work.

Reticulating Splines