Pesticides: Health Hazards
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that approved pesticides do not pose a risk to public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy
A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB) if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.
The GB pesticide Maximum Residue Level (MRL) regime sets high standards of consumer protection to ensure that residues in food do not harm human health. An MRL is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food that is legally tolerated. MRLs are always set below the level considered safe for people eating the food.
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