New insecticide requirements announced

08/12/11

Livestock producers have been advised of new requirements for all 2012 applications of chlorpyrifos insecticides, used extensively within grassland production for leatherjacket and frit fly control.

The changes form part of the new stewardship initiative; ‘Chlorpyrifos: Say NO to DRIFT’ that’s been spearheaded by a consortium of the three major approval holders of UK chlorpyrifos products; Dow AgroSciences, Makhteshim Agan and Headland Agrochemicals.

Setting new requirements relating to nozzle selection and buffer zones for boom sprayers, the initiative sets out to prevent spray drift, in order to retain the availability of the valued insecticide under challenging regulatory conditions.

The guidelines make LERAP three star rated – low drift – nozzles, and an extended 20 metre no-spray buffer zone adjacent to watercourses a requirement for all chlorpyrifos applications from January 2012.

“It’s simply a case of no drift or no chlorpyrifos,” said Dow’s ecotoxicologist Steve Norman speaking at the Peterborough launch.

Explaining the regulatory backdrop to the issue he said that a new ‘risk assessment’ for chlorpyrifos, under its routine EU/UK review, means that the existing label no-spray buffer zones adjacent to watercourses are no longer considered sufficient protection for aquatic organisms by the Chemicals Regulations Directorate (CRD).

“The criteria cannot be met by introducing larger buffer zones alone, meaning that low drift nozzles are now a necessity.”

He added that although chlorpyrifos products currently remain available as the CRD final decision is pending, the industry must adopt the new guidelines to give CRD the confidence to renew the registrations.  “The aim of the initiative is to achieve 100% uptake of low drift nozzles and extended buffer zones for all 2012 applications – and beyond.

“We need every producer, spray operator and adviser to get behind the initiative,” he urged.

As well as abiding by the new guidelines, growers, operators, advisers and the wider industry, can also show their support for the campaign by registering online at www.saynotodrift.co.uk.

For more information and to register visit www.saynotodrift.co.uk or contact enquiries@saynotodrift.co.uk for more information.

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