Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

There is no evidence that such powers in other legislation have been used inappropriately to make a request to enter and inspect premises. The majority of the population accept that action needs to be taken. The majority of wildlife poisoning incidents involve a relatively small number of persistently abused pesticides. Root crop insecticides such as aldicarb and carbofuran, which are usually used on lowland arable farmland, have repeatedly featured in incidents on upland estates where there was no legitimate reason to use such products. Hence the justification for the provisions in the Bill. I would go further than the Government and require a new offence of possession of a pesticide without a reasonable explanation, but I accept that the Minister might think such an amendment goes too far, as it could be impossible to prove that some chemicals are held without a lawful explanation. I therefore urge him to consider making the list of proscribed chemicals as long and comprehensive as possible to ensure that, once the Bill’s provisions become operational, they are as effective as possible.