Vol. 535 No. 4
60 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources if he will instigate an inquiry into the way in which the chemical lindane was allowed to be used by Irish companies, including Coillte Teoranta, to the extent that ten tonnes of this toxic substance was used throughout Ireland in 1998; and the basis on which the use of such a substance was allowed for use. [11474/01]
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development is the regulatory authority for approving plant protection products for use in Ireland.
Plant protection products are regulated in Ireland by 1994 regulations which implement EU Directive 91/414 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. The legislation provides for a high standard of safety, based on an assessment of the risk to human and animal health and to the environment.
A total of 37 plant protection products containing lindane held approval for use as a seed dressing, for the control of wireworm or as an insecticide in agriculture, horticulture, home garden and forestry in 1999. Following the introduction of annual renewal fees in 2000, only eight products continued to hold approval. Approval for these expired on 30 April 2001.
The directive also provides for a review, co-ordinated by the Commission, of all active substances on the EU market within specified timelines. The review of lindane was concluded in July 2000 when the notifier failed, within the specified timelines, to provide the data required to demonstrate that the continued use of plant protection products containing lindane was sufficiently safe.
Following the review, the standing committee on plant health voted unanimously not to include lindane in the positive list of active substances. This decision followed protracted evaluations and discussions dating back to 1998, with Austria acting as rapporteur for the Commission. The decision included provisions requiring member states to withdraw all authorisations within six months of publication of the decision and allowed a period of grace which "shall be as short as possible and not longer than 18 months from the date of adoption of the decision" to allow existing stocks to be used up. The Commission published the decision to exclude lindane in December 2000.
Additional Information.Ireland was anxious to implement the provisions as soon as possible. Therefore, it was decided to set 30 April 2001 as the date on which all authorisations would be withdrawn to coincide with the end of the spring seed treatment period.
The overall effect of these decisions is as follows. No more lindane products may enter the supply chain after 30 April; lindane products in the supply chain after 30 April must be used before 31 December next; and lindane products not used before 31 December will have to be disposed of as toxic waste.
While I have no function in the approval of plant protection products or their use by bodies under my aegis, I understand from Coillte Teoranta that in addition to conforming with all statutory requirements it applies very strict internal procedures in the application of pesticides.
I understand that plant protection products containing lindane were used by Coillte for the pest management of the large pine weevil in reforestation operations. The treatment consisted of spot application to the plant stem. I also understand from Coillte that plant protection products containing lindane were replaced by plant protection products containing permaset from 1 January 1999. Residual stocks of products containing lin dane were largely used up during 1999 and such products have not been used since then. Any remaining stocks are being disposed of in accordance with the governing regulations.
Does the Minister of State regard the use of lindane as a thing of the past and will the Forestry (Amendment) Bill copperfasten that state of affairs? Does it surprise the Minister of State that most of the lindane used in 1998, the last year for which figures exist, was used by Coillte? Those figures suggest that ten tonnes of the substance was used by Coillte in that year. Is this acceptable to the Minister of State, given the information now at his disposal? What would he say to people who are concerned about the effects of lindane on their health, the health of their animals and on the environment?
The Deputy will be happy to hear that Coillte Teoranta has not used any product containing lindane since 1999. I am pleased about that.
According to pesticide manuals, it would take 45 grammes, or more than ten spoonfuls of the most concentrated lindane product on the market, to kill a cow. This is considerably more than half a spoonful, which was suggested by the Deputy. There are either very small cows or very big teaspoons in his constituency.
Written answers follow Adjournment Debate.
