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  Pesticides & Wildlife Thursday, September 2, 2010  

The registration and use of pesticides and biocides are carefully controlled through the Chemical Regulations Directorate (CRD) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/ and http://www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/

CONSULTATION ON PESTICIDES  

A UK consultation is currently being carried out by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the Health and Safety Directorate on behalf of the Scottish Government, Defra, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Assembly.  It concerns the transposition of the Directive on theSustainable Use of Pesticides and two key measures relating to the provision of public information under the Plant Protection Products Regulation.  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/02/09141026


SASA provides expert advice and services both within Scotland, to the Scottish Government, and in the wider UK context to CRD and HSE. A number of SASA staff participate as Scottish representatives in the various interdepartmental committees that coordinate the regulation of pesticides and biocides throughout the UK. SASA is involved in three main pesticide-related activities:

PESTICIDE USAGE SURVEYS

Information is collected annually on the use of pesticides. Surveyors from SASA interview a representative sample of Scottish farmers and horticulturists about their use of agrochemicals and from this sample an overall estimate of use in Scotland is obtained. The Scottish data is combined with England and Wales data to give an overall assessment of use in Great Britain The latest survey reports covering each survey type in Scotland are downloadable from this site.

FOOD SURVEYS

The possible presence of pesticides in the diet is monitored continuously by sampling foodstuffs on sale to the general public and measuring the pesticides residues in them. This is extremely exacting work requiring the ability to detect as many as 200 different chemicals at concentrations of parts per billion (i.e. 1 part in 1000,000,000 parts). The U.K. survey programme includes both imported and home-produced food, and covers staples such as bread, milk and meat as well as vegetables and fruit.  SASA has experience across the range of commodities, but currently focuses on the fruit and vegetable sector.

WILDLIFE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION SCHEME (WIIS)

Many pesticides are highly toxic and WIIS provides a channel for the investigation of poisoning incidents on animals that are not the primary targets of pesticide use. Many cases involve wild animals, but others include domestic pets or beneficial insects such as bees. Poisoning can occur as a result of the correct use of a pesticide/biocide (for example the secondary exposure of some birds of prey to rat poisons), by misuse (bees could be killed by spraying crops in flower), or by abuse (deliberate targeting of birds of prey or other animals).
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SASA seeks to ensure that the information published on its Internet site is up to date and accurate. However, the information on the site does not constitute legal or professional advice and the Scottish Government cannot accept any liability for actions arising from its use. The Scottish Government cannot be held responsible for the contents of any pages referenced by an external link.
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