Analysis Crop protection
These resources will be in jeopardy in 2019
Nowadays, both the importance and the dependence on some crop protection products do not say much about the shelf life. For example, several neonicotinoids and diquat disappeared in 2018. In 2019, arable farmers must also take into account the fact that the resource package will continue to decrease.
The program to disappear of more and more essential plant protection products is a major concern for the entire sector. Besides the fact that the much-discussed 'toolbox' of an arable farmer is being curtailed, the development of new substances has also been put on the back burner. In 2017, 0 new substances were registered in the European Union (EU). This was due on the one hand to high development costs and, on the other hand, to the very difficult registration process in Europe.
The best-known crop protection products that disappeared last year are undoubtedly diquat (known for the foliage killer Reglone) and the various neonicotinoids. This will remove an important seed coating for sugar beets, among other things. In 2019, a number of resources are once again under discussion. Boerenbusiness list a few things.
1. Chlorpropham
The European Commission (EC) has proposed to withdraw the authorization of the active ingredient chlorpropham. This agent is often used as a sprout inhibitor in potatoes (CIPC) and for weed control in onions. Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) reports that she thinks this is going too far. As an argument she uses the conclusion of the Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb), which considers that chlorpropham is safe to use as a herbicide. For sprout inhibition, that's a different story.
The potato sector has been preparing for a ban on CIPC in ware potatoes for some time. The drug is popular, mainly because its effectiveness has been proven and it is also affordable. However, the crop protection industry has put forward several alternatives. Maleic Hydrazide (MH), 1,4 Sight, Biox M (mint oil) and Restrain. There is currently no majority in favor of a ban on chlorpropham, but the EC could make its own decision.
2. Maleic Hydrazide (MH)
A possible ban on the sprout inhibitor MH caused turmoil in the onion sector in 2017, but in the end everything turned out on its feet. The product is also widely used in potatoes, but that may change. New rules stipulate that potatoes treated with MH may no longer be sold as animal feed. These rules came into effect on November 1, 2018, but are not (yet) applied by the Netherlands. However, this opportunity does exist for 2019. Currently, only the United Kingdom has a prohibition.
The ban applies to all products placed on the market since November 1. The products that were produced before this date and are now in stock can be sold until May 1, 2019 and have an exhaustion date of 12 months. This ban is difficult for the animal feed industry. Feed potatoes, steam peels and other residual flows may have been treated with MH and may no longer be sold in the future.
3. Phenmedipham and Desmedipham
The active ingredients phenmedipham and desmedipham are the main ingredients for Betanal. This authorization threatens to expire, because the substances may have a hormone-disrupting effect. The government has asked to await the final assessment, as this does not appear to be the case based on final criteria. However, the EC is committed to a ban.
The beet growers' organization CIBE is calling on its growers to send a personal message to the EC, in order to highlight the importance of these products in beet cultivation. Other Member States are not making any efforts to do this.
4. Pendimethalin
However, the active substances mentioned are not the only ones at risk. As a rule, resource producers are not eager to talk about this openly, because they expect it to do their business little good.
Among other things, the substance pendimethalin is in a dangerous light. This herbicide is widely used in products such as Stomp, Wing P and Malibu. Pendimethalin is frequently found in surface water by water authorities, which does not make it any easier. In Flevoland, the drug is in second place of most found substances that exceed norms, after deltamthrin (Decis).
Future
Voting on the authorization of plant protection products in the EC is largely formed by the vote of Germany and France. This is how glyphosate finally managed to get over the ditch with its heels. However, the German agriculture minister Christian Smith who made this possible is no longer on this post.
In addition, thanks to the new politics, France votes on the far left and not always in favor of the agricultural sector. Brexit is also important. With the disappearance of the United Kingdom, the relations will be different. It will certainly not get any easier in 2019 and beyond.
Niels van der Boom
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