Written question WQ88539
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
Will the Minister outline the rationale behind the Welsh Government's decision to refuse an emergency authorisiation to use Asulox to control bracken in Wales?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
In order to tackle the nature and climate emergency we need to apply more robust environmental controls to deliver for nature now and for the future.
I accepted the expert advice of the Health and Safety Executive (“the HSE”) to refuse an emergency authorisation for the use of Asulox in Wales to control bracken in 2023 as their assessment of the emergency application against the relevant legislative requirements, identified a growing number of concerns and risks to the environment and human health.
The HSE concluded the increase in potential adverse effects of the product now outweigh the potential benefits of controlling the problems posed by bracken.