Canada to phase-out mancozeb certain uses

The Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has proposed to continue registration most uses and phase out certain uses of the ethylene bisdithiocarbamate (EBDC) fungicide, mancozeb. because of concerns over risks to human health and the environment.

Most uses of mancozeb have value in the food and non-food agriculture industry and are not of concern to human health or the environment when further risk-reduction measures are considered. But certain uses of mancozeb are proposed for phase-out because of the human health risks and/or risk to the environment. These uses are seed treatment for barley, corn, flax, oat and wheat, and potato seed piece and application on orchard crops including apples, pear, grapes and greenhouse tomato. During the transition to phase-out, additional risk-reduction measures are proposed.

Mancozeb is a protectant contact fungicide with multi-site mode of action belonging to resistance management group M3 (British Crop Protection Council, 2004). It is used to control a broad spectrum of plant diseases on a wide variety of crops. Mancozeb belongs to the group of fungicides commonly known as ethylene bis (dithiocarbamates) (EBDCs), along with the active ingredients maneb, metiram and nabam. It should be noted that in Canada, nabam has no registered food uses and maneb has been voluntarily discontinued, which leaves use on food crops to mancozeb and metiram only. The EBDCs decompose to ethylene thiourea (ETU), whose cumulative risk profile is also being taken into account.

The PMRA has opened the public comments until Sep 28, 2013.