A West Somerset MP has welcomed a call to ban over-the-counter flea and tick treatments.
Rachel Gilmour, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton and Minehead, has championed the issue in Parliament, arguing that chemicals in these products can pollute rivers and harm wildlife.
The call comes from the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, which says spot-on treatments should only be sold by vets, pharmacists or other qualified professionals.
Ms Gilmour began campaigning on the issue after being contacted by retired Exmoor vet and environmental campaigner Dr Ueli Zellweger.
He raised concerns that fipronil and imidacloprid, two commonly used chemicals in flea and tick treatments, were entering local waterways.
Ms Gilmour said: "This report is a massive win for the constituency and proof that my constituents and I were right to keep pushing since before I was even elected.
"When Dr Zellweger first raised his concerns with me, I knew it was worth fighting for."
After she was elected in 2024, Ms Gilmour continued her campaign, securing her first adjournment debate in the House of Commons.
During the debate, she told MPs: "Popular though these products are, safe they are not."
She pointed to Environment Agency data showing fipronil in 98 per cent of freshwater samples and imidacloprid in 66 per cent, from 20 English waterways tested between 2016 and 2018.
The House of Lords committee’s report, Paws for Concern: Pets, Parasites and Pollution, found little scientific justification for routine, preventative use of flea and tick treatments.
Their findings support years of campaigning by the Exmoor Society and its Waters of Exmoor campaign, led by chair Kate O'Sullivan and president Sir Andrew Burns.
Ms Gilmour said: "Thanks to the Exmoor Society, Kate O'Sullivan, Sir Andrew Burns and everyone on Exmoor who have campaigned alongside me, this is a result of all of us pulling together to protect our rivers and wildlife.
"It's now down to the government to act on the Committee's recommendations."
Earlier this year, Ms Gilmour wrote to Pennon Group chief executive Keith Haslett, requesting data on fipronil and fiprole levels in South West rivers and treated drinking water, and asking whether the company’s treatment processes can reliably remove these chemicals.
Share