News sugar beets
Possible neonicotinoids in beet seed
It is possible that sugar beet seed can still be provided with a seed coating with neonicotinoids. Suiker Unie and IRS have requested a temporary exemption. However, this exemption has limitations. From 2019, the control of aphids will be a major challenge.
It's no longer from 2019 Allowed to use neonicotinoids in the seed coating of, among other things, sugar beets. The biggest challenge is to keep out aphids, which transmit yellowing disease. The new insecticide Force in the pill seed only works against soil insects and not against leaf insects, says research Institute IRS.
Carol Schouten
No possibility of derogation
A number of European Member States, including Belgium, have a derogation applied for for the use of neonicotinoids in beet cultivation. In the Netherlands, interested parties have also requested this. At the end of July, Carola Schouten (Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) had a Letter to Parliament know that it is not possible to apply for a derogation: "I assume that this refers to the independent competence of the Member States to grant temporary exemptions", she writes. "When an exemption application is submitted in the Netherlands, I will be advised in accordance with the usual procedure. It is not expected that I will issue an exemption for the use of neonicotinoids."
Suiker Unie and IRS have now applied for a temporary exemption for neonicotinoids in beet seed. This concerns a greatly reduced dosage that may only be applied to clay and loess soil. That is what Suiker Unie writes in their magazine. This temporary exemption is necessary to develop a good alternative. A term for the temporary exemption is not stated, only that it has been applied for.
In addition, the 2 interested parties request an exemption for the use of environmentally friendly insecticides to control thrips and caterpillars. This exemption must apply for 2019, after which an admission will follow in 2020. The parties see no threshold for this, because these products already have an authorization in many other crops.
Alternatives
To control aphids, the IRS recommends spraying Teppeki or Pirimor when the damage threshold is exceeded, after proper monitoring. The use of pyrethroids is not recommended because they also kill natural enemies. If you control thrips, flea beetles and beet flies early with pyrethroids, you run the risk of a higher aphid population later in the season.
The fungicide Thiram is also used in pelleted beet seed. This fights soil fungi such as Phoma and Alternaria. The European Commission did not renew the license of this active substance on 10 October. This is a major problem for several crops. In 2019, Thiram may still be used in the seed coating.
Denied exemption
All European beet-growing countries are struggling with the disappearance of crop protection products that are vital for profitable sugar beet cultivation. The British counterpart of the IRS, the British Beet Research Organization (BBRO) has also applied for an exemption for neonicotinoids-treated seed in the United Kingdom. However, the UK Department of Agriculture rejected this application. They consider the risk of damage to bees and other insects greater than the consequences for agriculture. Representative NFU Sugar and beet processor British Sugar are very disappointed in the decision.
The government said it is open to a temporary exemption if circumstances are found to be exceptional. It does not report when such a situation can be discussed. It does state that beet cultivation is eligible for a temporary exemption. This is because cultivation and seed sales are regulated by 1 organization.
Answer from Belgium
However, the government considers the current application of the insecticide too harmful to the environment to grant an exemption now. To do this, the risk to bees and humans must be reduced. As far as is known, no exemption has (yet) been granted in Belgium for the use of neonicotinoids.
Niels van der Boom
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