Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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578. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether any exemptions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides were issued in 2024; what measures the Department are taking to ensure the EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides is complied with across the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9537/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Plant protection products (PPPs) containing neonicotinoid active substances which have not been approved by the EU are excluded from the Irish register of authorised pesticides and cannot be placed on the market or used in Ireland. There were no exemptions on the sale or use of these products issued in Ireland in 2024.

My Department implements an annual risk based control plan on the marketing and use of PPPs. Distributers and end-users of PPPs are subject to official controls pursuant to EU and national legislative requirements and are inspected regularly to verify compliance with the regulatory framework. My Department also conducts laboratory analysis of food and feed commodities for residues of pesticides including neonicotinoid substances. There were no findings to indicate that banned neonicotinoid pesticides were used in Ireland in 2024.