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

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will include bioassays and biotoxicity tests in assessments of samples for disposal at sea.

The OSPAR guidelines allow for the use of effect response analyses (such as bioassays). These are not commonly recommended by Cefas largely due to the costs and additional time implications of the analyses which would be incurred by applicants. However, if it was identified that such tests would be useful for a weight of evidence in a specific case, they could be requested or considered if an applicant wished to provide them. Cefas is considering the use of ‘Microtox’ bioassay testing as a potential option for characterising dredged material, in such instances.