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Organophosphate Pesticides
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the international studies of the effect of exposure to organophosphate pesticides, with particular reference to their use in agriculture, which are under review in her Department; and if she will make a statement. [35403]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2002]: It would not be possible to list all of the studies, both national and international, which have been submitted by companies to support applications for approvals or for reviews of organophosphate pesticides. The information is not collected in this format and it would be too resource intensive and disproportionate in cost to collate one. For example, 171 published and unpublished studies were evaluated for the review of the organophosphate, chlorpyrifos and a list of over 2,000 other studies which were available was also submitted.
At the conclusion of these reviews, as is normal practice, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides' evaluation documents will be made available and will include a list of the studies which have been evaluated. No evaluation documents have yet been published.
Cetacean Deaths
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Scotland, (b) France, (c) Denmark and (d) other nations regarding the incidence of cetacean deaths in the English Channel and western approaches. [35477]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2002]: In order to have an impact on the problem identified by the monitoring work, action will need to be taken—either by introducing mitigation measures or by other means—at EU level, as vessels from a number of member states are involved. Following consultation with the Scottish Executive, I have therefore written on 4 February to Commissioner Fischler to alert him to the need for action. I will be maintaining contact with the Commission and other member states to follow this up.
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Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent of cetacean bycatch in the (a) fair-trawl, (b) industrial trawl and (c) other pelagic fishery sectors in each of the last three years. [35478]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2002]: Information on the full extent of cetacean casualties caused by fishing is not available.
The Department has commissioned sample monitoring of the incidental capture of cetaceans through a number of research contracts with the Sea Mammal Research Unit. This research has demonstrated that there is a cetacean bycatch problem in pelagic trawl fisheries. We are therefore pressing forward with trials of mitigation measures to reduce bycatch.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) recent work has been and (b) present work is being undertaken to discover the (i) extent and (ii) cause of cetacean deaths in recent (A) years and (B) months in the English Channel and western approaches. [35476]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2002]: The Department funds a co-ordinated investigation carried out by The Natural History Museum in co-operation with the Institute of Zoology and the Scottish Agricultural College which aims to find out and record the cause of death of stranded cetaceans, what species, sex and length they are, and when and where they strand.
In January 2002, 75 cetacean strandings were reported along the coast of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, with another eight animals reported along the coast of Hampshire and West Sussex. Post-mortem examinations were conducted on 34 of these cetaceans, 27 of which were found to have been bycaught, four were live strandings, and one died of pneumonia. In the rest of England and Wales, a further 19 cetacean strandings were reported. The number of strandings is not unusual for this time of year, taking account of the recent adverse weather conditions. Figures are not currently available for the latter months of 2001.
During the period from 1 January to 31 March in Great Britain, 155 cetaceans were reported as stranding in 2001 (of which 82 were in Devon and Cornwall), 125 in 2000 (of which 53 animals were found in Devon and Cornwall), 114 in 1999 and 113 animals were reported in 1998.
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For Devon and Cornwall, from January 1991 to December 2001 post-mortem examinations were carried out on 186 dolphins, 75 per cent. of these were diagnosed as having died of bycatch, and 79 harbour porpoises, 48 per cent. of which were bycaught.
Mackerel Box Regulations
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with fishing nations which have industrial trawler companies with regard to the (a) appropriate enforcement of mackerel box regulations and (b) level of cetacean by-catch. [35479]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 12 February 2002]: There have been no recent discussions with other fishing nations about the enforcement of mackerel box regulations. As in previous years the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron has been tasked by the Department to enforce the EC rules applicable to the mackerel box whether or not vessels are engaged in human consumption or other fisheries. There are no EC rules specifying levels of cetacean bycatch.
Farm Co-operatives
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farm co-operatives there were in each constituency in each year since 1990. [34871]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 11 February 2002]: Information on the number of farm co-operatives in each constituency is not available.
Woodland
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much woodland there was in (a) absolute and (b) percentage terms in each constituency in each year since 1990. [34870]
Mr. Morley [holding answer 11 February 2002]: This information is not currently available in the format requested. However, the Forestry Commission carries out woodland surveys by county every 10–15 years. The most recent surveys were conducted between 1979–1982 and 1995–99, and the table shows the findings from each survey.
Note:
NIWT land area, including inland water, based on digital boundaries used in the 1991 Census of Population
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