Environment and Rural Development Committee, 21 Dec 2005

Meeting date: Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Official Report 241KB pdf

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Subordinate Legislation

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Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding Stuffs) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 (SSI 2005/599)<br />Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005 (SSI 2005/614)

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Smoke Control Areas (Exempt Fireplaces) (Scotland) Order 2005 (SSI 2005/615)

Under agenda item 3, we have three instruments to consider under the negative procedure: the Pesticides (Maximum Residue Levels in Crops, Food and Feeding Stuffs) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 (SSI 2005/599); the Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005 (SSI 2005/614); and the Smoke Control Areas (Exempt Fireplaces) (Scotland) Order 2005 (SSI 2005/615). The Subordinate Legislation Committee considered the instruments and has made no comment on them.

Do members have any comments to make on the instruments? We shall deal first with SSI 2005/599.

I welcome SSI 2005/599, but the regulations deal with individual crops, foods and feeding stuffs and individual pesticides that are being applied and leaving residues on crops. There is, however, also an issue about the cocktail effect of the interaction of different pesticides that leave residues that are individually below the maximum residue limits. A number of scientists are investigating such effects, but we do not have regulations that deal with them. That is a serious matter.

I would be content to write to the minister to ask about the investigations that the Executive is making into cocktail effects, and the regulations that it is considering on that. SSI 2005/599 clearly deals with individual pesticides on individual crops, foods and feeding stuffs, but not with multiple effects.

We can do that, although I take it that you are not suggesting that we not approve the regulations.

No.

The suggestion is that we obtain more information about what is being done about the interactions between different pesticides. Members are happy with that suggestion.

I thought briefly about the extent to which the other two instruments relate to the biomass work that we will do in the new year and the extent to which there is a crossover with renewables. I do not want to delay SSI 2005/599, but I wonder whether we could ask the minister about how the interaction works.

Members have no other comments. Is the committee content with the instruments and happy to make no recommendations to Parliament?

Members indicated agreement.

We move into private session, as we agreed to do under agenda item 1.

Meeting continued in private until 12:40.