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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) ecological, and (2) human health, impacts of continuing to allow emergency use of asulam to control growth of bracken after such use was denied in Wales and Scotland; and whether they have a (a) plan, or (b) timescale, for ending such authorisations.

Decisions on the regulation of pesticides are devolved. The decision to grant an emergency authorisation for the limited and controlled use of Asuloxin in England in 2023 was taken after careful consideration of the potential impacts on human and animal health and the environment. To minimise risks to human health and the environment, strict conditions have been applied to its use. These include, but are not limited to, the use of protective equipment for those applying the pesticide, unsprayed buffer zones to protect non-target terrestrial plants and aquatic organisms, and restrictions on when and where the herbicide can be sprayed to protect mammals and nesting birds.

All applications for emergency authorisation are considered on their individual merits, However, emergency authorisation is not a permanent solution. The Bracken Control Group, as the Applicant for emergency authorisation, has carried out work on alternatives and the owners of Asulox are working towards standard authorisation of the product. The Minister for Food, Mark Spencer, plans to meet the company in the near future to assess progress towards a long-term solution.