Respond to pesticide consultation now or risk losing key farm chemicals

The NFU has called on farmers to respond to a crucial EU consultation that will directly affect the future availability of many pesticides.

The European Commission’s public consultation on defining criteria for identifying endocrine disruptors (EDs) runs until 16 January.

An independent report published by farm consultants Andersons found that 40 active substances are at risk of being lost.

See also: EU pesticide review could cost UK industry £905m

This could mean yield decreases of 4-50%, depending on the crop, with UK total farming income dropping by £1.73bn, a 36% fall in overall profits.

A separate report, published last week by levy body the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) said the changes to regulation could cost the farming industry up to £905m in yield losses.

NFU vice-president Guy Smith said: “With recent reports from AHDB and Andersons strengthening our Healthy Harvest report messages, we can see there’s a long list of products at stake.

“Plant protection products, such as Alto Elite, Bassoon and Juventus, are highly likely to be cut-off under new regulation. There are 17 active ingredients classed at high risk and a further 40 at medium risk of loss, according to the Andersons report.

“It’s vital that the voices of as many individual growers as possible are heard loud and clear in this consultation process on EDs, illustrating the importance of plant protection products in producing the country’s food.”

The EU is looking to tighten up rules about these pesticides amid growing concern about the increase in hormone-related diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Table of active ingredients ‘highly likely’ to be lost*

Active names

Arable

Vegetable (inc Potato)

Some product names (this product list is not exhaustive and is for illustration purposes)

Fungicides

 

Mancozeb

Y

Y

Laminator, Manzate, Penncozeb, Fubol Gold WG, Guru

Iprodione

Y

Y

Compass, Hi-Prodione, Rovral Aqua-flo, Rovral WG

Cyproconazole

Y

Y

Alto Elite, Alto Xtra, Furlong, Escolta

Epoxiconazole

Y

 

Adexar, Bassoon, Kingdom, Keystone

Maneb

Y

Y

Trimangol 80, Trimangol WDG

Metconazole

Y

Y

Juventus, Caramba, Librax

Fluazinam

 

Y

Legacy, Ibiza 500, Nando 500SC

Herbicides

 

Ioxynil

Y

Y

Oxytril CM, Stellox, Totril

Linuron

 

Y

Messidor 45 SC, Linurex 50SC, Cleancrop Affable, Afalon

flumioxazine

Y

 

Digital, Guillotine, Sumimax

S-metolachlor

Y

 

Dual Gold

Terbuthylazine

Y

 

Alpha Bromotril PT, Calaris

Insecticides

 

Abamectin

 

Y

Dynamec, Agrimec

Thiacloprid

Y

Y

Biscaya, Calypso, Provado Ultimate Bug Killer

* Products identified as a result of review of the definition of endocrine disruption (Andersons Oct 2014).