Dr. Aidan Moody:

As for the Department's regulatory function in respect of pesticides, the remit of the Department is in respect of authorisation or otherwise of products and enforcement of controls relating to the use of products, including sustainable use controls. As part of the authorisation process, the decision as to whether products can be approved is taken in accordance with the EU regulatory system for pesticides, which is widely acknowledged to be the most stringent in the world. That process involves a detailed scientific evaluation of a wide range of information and includes multiple risk assessments to determine potential impacts on human health, animal health and the environment. In accordance with that process, products can be authorised only if it is demonstrated they can be used safely for the intended uses and there are no unacceptable impacts on human health, animal health or the environment.

However, just because a product passes the authorisation process and is adjudged to be safe does not mean it has to be used. The EU system takes a very precautionary approach, in particular to use of pesticides in public areas. As my colleagues have said, the current legal position on use in public areas is that if a more suitable, more environmentally friendly alternative is available and the user has determined it can do the job, that alternative must be used, even if there are other authorised products that are safe to use. In other words, if there is a viable alternative that has been determined to do the job, it should be used first before any consideration of use of pesticide products. That is the legal position.

Getting back to the question as to why the Department does not recommend particular methods, it is not the Department's role to recommend particular products or methods. As a regulator, we have to be seen to be impartial in how we implement the regulatory system for approval and the controls relating to that. We will raise awareness that alternatives should be used where possible if they can do the job, but we are not prescriptive in that we do not say a particular method or product has to be used. That is not the Department's role. However, we prepare a wide range of advice and guidance to help stakeholders to make those decisions based on their own assessments as to what is most appropriate to the circumstances they face.