The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee started its new inquiry into Pet Parasite Medication (PPM) yesterday (Wednesday 3 June), by hearing from environmental non-governmental organisations and Research Institutes.

The short inquiry will focus on treatments containing pesticides of concern such as fipronil and imidacloprid and will seek to understand distribution pathways, and the impact of PPM use and non-use on biodiversity and human health. It will also cover current regulation, monitoring, and the potential implications for pets and pet owners of alternative medications or application practices.

Giving evidence were:

• Professor Alistair Boxhall,
  Professor in Environmental Science, University of York;
  
  
• Professor Guy Woodward,
  Professor of Ecology, Imperial College London;
  
  
• Matthew Shardlow,
  ecological consultant.

Questions from the committee covered the following areas:

• Ecological Impacts of PPMs;
• Pathways for pollution to the environment;
• Pollution monitoring;
• Environmental risk assessments for PPMs;
• Evidence gaps for environmental and human impacts.