Mr. Bill Callanan:

In terms of the alternatives, there is a requirement in the first instance to ask if there is a need to use this . It is the first principle question that anyone, including the local authorities, must answer in any risk assessment. The objective is to minimise. What I want to be clear on is the difference between us confirming it is safe versus the requirement to minimise its use. In minimising the use, there is a requirement to look at alternatives and to ask if there is a need to use this.

I assume that in local authorities' adjudication they have to consider whether what they are doing is just a tidy-up, which would be contrary to Senator Buttimer's point that people's knowledge and awareness have changed in this regard, as against whether they are creating a flooding issue or something like that. They have to manage local areas. As the Chairman has identified, there is also the management of invasive species, including rhododendron. That has to be part of local authorities' decision process.

We have invested significantly in support for research organisations to look at alternatives to pesticides. Those are biological, that is, they are biostimulants and biological agents, which are growing in use. We have to recognise we are in a very mild north-western part of Europe, the climate of which is quite conducive to certain diseases of crops, making sprays necessary. For example, €2 million has been given to a UCD-led project looking into biostimulants and alternatives. Another €763,000 has been given to the economic and policy analysis of climate change, EPIC, programme, which is about IPM guidance. More than €1 million has been given to a UCD project called protecting terrestrial ecosystems through sustainable pesticide use, PROTECTS, which is all about looking at those alternatives. To be fair, however, while there are a lot of alternatives in respect of disease management, the avoidance of fungal infection etc., there are not as many alternatives in respect of herbicides except natural cultivation, whether by hand or shovel or whatever other type of management. Biologicals are not as available in herbicides as they are in pesticides.