Salut Bil

> ... Advisory Committee on Pesticides, ACP, has not published an annual report since 2002.

Every Annual Report from 2000 to 2010 is listed here.  What is the problem?

http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/guidance/industries/pesticides/advisory-groups/acp/acp-annual-reports

The 2009 report in particular discusses the German, Italian and Slovenian problems in a logical and neutral way.

> The UK has notoriously lax legislation concerning the protection of its population from pesticide intoxication ...

I'm not aware of that reputation.  Would you like to explain?

> They are cautious and use the conditional in their statements.
> “As long as the seed is treated correctly and planted efficiently no,
> or negligible, dust will be produced as the seed is drilled. 

Negligible means hardly any, not enough to cause a problem.  They are a panel of independent scientists.  It is inevitable that their language is cautious.  

> DEFRA, Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affaires, who have still not implemented the EU Pesticides
> legislation and seem to believe that goodwill is better than legislation ...

Maybe you know more about this than me.  However it is a label requirement to control the dust from pneumatic seeders.  It is the Law.  

> The writer finished by quoting recommendations from Bayer of all people!

Yes, I did.  Bayer were at fault for the mass poisoning of bees that prompted the change in the rules.  But Bayer were citing the details of the change in regulation, the change that brings down dust levels to 'negligible' levels.  I'm not sure whether this is a UK or EU-wide change - probably the latter - but the effect should be to stop the poisoning of bees.  A good things, no?

best wishes

Gavin

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