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Publication of Advisory Committee on Pesticides' (ACP) Minutes Giving Consideration of Dichlorvos

4 December 2001

Following a High Court judgment (3 December, 2001) concerning pesticide products containing the chemical dichlorvos, the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) can now publish the relevant sections of its minutes.

These had previously been withheld because of a court order in favour of AMVAC Chemical UK Ltd against Government departments and agencies including the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), preventing publication of any information relating to proposed regulatory action.

Although the ACP is independent of Government, its minutes are published on the Pesticides Safety Directorate website, www.pesticides.gov.uk/committees/acp/acp.htm.

Dichlorvos is a pesticide used in a range of household fly killers and also has agricultural uses.

Chairman of the ACP, Professor David Coggon, said: "In July 2001, we advised Ministers that there could be a small risk of cancer from dichlorvos in those people who use it over prolonged periods and that the sale, supply and use of products containing dichlorvos should therefore be revoked as a precautionary measure. In formulating this recommendation we took account of advice from the Committee on Mutagenicity (COM).

"Dichlorvos is important for certain sectors of the horticultural industry and is used in some domestic pesticide products. The advice to revoke these products was to protect householders and those who work with dichlorvos from a remote but potentially serious risk."

Further Information is available on a Press Release issued by Defra on 11 December 2001.

Note: See also latest Press Release issued by Defra on 19 April 2002.

Notes for Editors

1. Pesticides are controlled under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. Without specific approval, no pesticide may be advertised, sold, supplied, stored or used.
2. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides, set up under the 1985 Act, is an independent committee of experts that advises health and agriculture Ministers on the safety of pesticides. Its advice is provided to the Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, and Ministers in the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales. Its meetings are attended by officials from these departments, and from the Health and Safety Executive and Defra’s Pesticides Safety Directorate who jointly provide the Secretariat for the Committee, and act as the agents of the above Ministers in the issuing of approvals, suspensions and revocations for pesticides.
3. The Committee on Mutagenicity (full title is the Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment) is an independent committee of experts reporting to the Chief Medical Officer (Professor Liam Donaldson) and the Chairman of the Board of the Food Standards Agency (Sir John Krebs). COM provides advice to Government departments and agencies.
4. Dichlorvos is an organophosphate. The Health and Safety Executive and Defra are conducting a review of all anticholinesterase compounds (organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides) in pesticide products approved under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986. These reviews are being conducted to reassess the risk that agricultural and non-agricultural pesticide products present to consumers, workers and the environment. This review programme does not cover use of these compounds for other purposes, for example use in human and veterinary medicines (including use as sheep dips – but note that dichlorvos is not used in sheep dips) as these are authorised and subject to scrutiny under separate legislation.
5. Further information: The minutes of the ACP meetings can be found on the website of the Pesticides Safety Directorate of Defra: www.pesticides.gov.uk/committees/acp/acp.htm. The statement and minutes of COM’s consideration of dichlorvos are expected to be published shortly on the Department of Health website: http://www.iacom.org.uk/statements/COM02S2.htm. Further information on the approval system for non-agricultural pesticides can be found on the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk/biocides/introduction.htm.

Media enquiries

Legal issues, Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) - Sue Williams or John Webb, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on 020 7238 6698/5599; Peter Morgan or Alasdair Frew, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 020 7717 6179

Public health issues, Committee on Mutagenicity (COM) – Rachel Clinton, Department of Health (DoH) on 020 7210 5623.

Public enquiries

For information on non-agricultural dichlorvos-containing products, call HSE’s Biocides help line on 0151 951 5825.

For information on agricultural dichlorvos-based products, call Defra helpline on 0845 050 4141.