Tag: Pesticides

Neonic Beet Treatment

Defra has granted an emergency authorization of Sygenta’s Cruiser SB seed treatment on sugar beet crops, in England, for the control of Yellow Virus (YV).

The emergency authorisation is dependent on nine conditions.  The conditions is the need for YV prevalence level, as predicted by the Rothamstead Research model, to be greater than 19% of area on 1st March 2022.  This is a much higher threshold than the 7% requested by the NFU in their application for authorisation.

Additionally,

  • Where Cruiser SB is used, the application rate should be a maximum of 75ml per 100,000 seeds. The label recommended volume is 100ml per 100,000 seeds.
  • Seed rates should not exceed 115,000 seeds per hectare, this is above the commercial rate.
  • As with last year’s criteria for emergency authorisation, no flowering crop can be planted in the same field within 32 months.
  • No further use of thiamethoxam can be used in the same field for 46 months.
  • An industry-recommended herbicide programme must be followed to limit flowering weeds in and around the sugar beet crop.
  • Treated seed must be fully incorporated in the soil and at the end of rows.
  • Treated seed should not be left on the soil surface with any spillages needing to be buried.
  • The authorisation can be withdrawn or amended at any time.

Defra granted an emergency authorisation last season.  However, due to low YV prevalence in March, neonicotinoid-based seed treatment was not used.  In 2018, 25% of the national sugar beet crop was lost to YV.  The estimated cost of losses to processors and growers in 2018 was £67 million.

 

Crop Protection

Member States have agreed on a criteria for indentifying endocrine disruptors in pesticides.  We have written about this topic previously (see articles in May and June).  Although very technical, it is important in terms of the toolkit of plant protection products available to farming.  Depending on the precise definition, up to 30 currently-available active ingredients could fall foul of the new rules.  The agreement by Member States comes after the European Parliament rejected an earlier version which, in its view, left too many looppholes.  It is likely that the new rules will come into force somethime in 2018.  The actual effect on spray availability is uncertain as the precise technical guidance guidance is still being worked-on, and then individual active substances will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The EU vote on the use of neonicotinoids has been delayed until March.  The proposal would ban all outdoor use of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam – extending the current ban on flowering plants to non-flowering crops such as sugar beet and cereals.

In slightly better news for the crop protection sector, the re-approval of glyphosate for a five year period as been confirmed.  The necessary legislation has been included in the Official Journal of the EU with the reapproval running from the 16th December.