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receive careful consideration by the Pood and Agricultural
Organisation of the United Nations, and its adoption by
the major chemical manufacturing countries should extend
the cover to the more agrarian countries, and enable Port
Health authorities to insist on its application to all
imported produce."
The Standing Joint Committee stated that they consider it
extremely important that there should be a research project continually
examining the implications of the use of these chemicals and that, in
the meantime, there should be issued a list of the approved substances
indicating -
(i) those which can be easily identified;
(ii) those which are more difficult to detect, and
(iii) those where detection may be impossible; and
indicating against each whether or not it is
considered to be potentially toxic.
The Standing Joint Committee made representations on these
lines to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture,
fisheries and Pood.
A detailed reply from the Ministry of Agriculture, fisheries
and Pood gave information about an agreement with manufacturers under
which no new chemical is introduced for use in agriculture unless the
appropriate Government Advisory Committee are able to make recommendations
for its safe use. The Ministry also stated that a Research
Study Group was examining the question of the use of toxic chemicals
in agriculture and food storage, including pesticide residues, and
that a Report was expected shortly.
This Report has now been published and the Committee
received from the Medical Officer of Health a comprehensive and
detailed report upon it. After carefully considering this report the
Committee were not satisfied that the proposals of the Research Study
Group will effectively deal with the problem. The Research Study
Group make no reference to the first suggestion of the public analyst
and reject the other two suggestions.
The present position may be summarised as follows:-
A large and ever increasing number of new and highly poisonous
pesticides are being used on fruit, vegetables and grain. Some
of these have caused widespread deaths among birds, insects and wild
animals. Some are known to be dangerous in very small amounts to
human beings. Their use is controlled by a voluntary scheme whereby
manufacturers are expected to notify the Ministry of dangerous new
products, and partly by regulations to protect farm workers which are
not binding on farmers who do the spraying themselves. These regulations
are enforced by a safety and wages inspectorate of seventytwo
for England and Wales. These arrangements are obviously
inapplicable abroad.
It is claimed that no evidence of harm to consumers has been
adduced, yet there is already some contradictory information on shortterm
effects. Research to gain further knowledge in twenty-four
aspects of these pesticides has been advocated. The public analyst
advises that with no indication of what may have been used, it is
impossible in practice and in the short time available to identify many
of these pesticides. Further, it is impossible in the present state
of knowledge to say what are safe maximum levels, and in these circumstances
local authorities are in no position to assess danger, if any,
nor to take suitable action.