An application requesting an emergency authorisation of Redigo Deter which was made to the Department of Agriculture has been rejected, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.
The application was lodged to the Department by the Irish Farmers Association in June 2019 after the decision was made to ban the outdoor use of the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin along with midacloprid and thiamethoxam in May 2019.
Redigo Deter seed dressing contains the active substances clothianidin and prothioconazole and had formed an integral part of growers' aphid management strategies. Growers now face autumn planting without use of the dressing.
Decision
The Department stated that decisions on substance approval are based on validated scientific information as evidenced in the detailed scientific risk assessments carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The EFSA evaluations identified risks for all treated crops grown outside, particularly the potential for exposure of pollinators through uptake of neonicotinoid residues in soil by succeeding crops.
After careful consideration it was decided not to grant the emergency authorisation requested, the Department stated.
History of Neonic ban
Neonicotinoids (Neonics) are systemic active substances used in plant protection products to control insect pests.
In 2013, the European Commission restricted the use of insecticides and seed treatments containing three neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam. This followed a risk assessment by the EFSA in 2012.
The measure prohibited the use of these three neonicotinoids in bee-attractive crops (including maize, oilseed rape and sunflower), with exceptions for use in greenhouses, the treatment of some crops after flowering and for winter cereals.
The Commission went on to ban all outdoor uses of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam on 29 May 2018.
The EFSA review stated that bees are exposed to dangerous levels of pesticide in pollen and nectar in fields treated with these neonicotinoids, as well as on nearby land.
The review also indicated that drifts of dust that could occur during planting of neonicotinoid-treated seeds could be dangerous to bees.
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