Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

All pesticides are subject to strict regulation and are only authorised for use if a scientific assessment finds that this will not harm people or have unacceptable impacts on the environment. In our 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government has outlined its approach to reducing further the impacts of pesticide use while protecting crops. At the centre of this will be encouraging the development and uptake of Integrated Pest Management, which is about designing farming systems to minimise the need for pesticides and to make use of alternative approaches wherever possible. We will expand on these ideas when we publish for consultation the updated National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides later this year.