New Zealand approved Dow's sulfoxaflor insecticide

The New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved an application for a new pesticide to control sucking insects including aphids and greenhouse whitefly.

Dow AgroSciences Limited applied to import and manufacture GF-2032, a pesticide containing the chemical sulfoxaflor, for use on a variety of commercial crops.

GF-2032 provides a more effective and less toxic means of pest control compared to some alternatives other pesticides currently available.

After considering the risks of the substance to human health and the environment, including to bees and the aquatic environment, an expert Hazardous Substances and New Organisms decision-making committee approved the application but imposed a number of rules to prevent harm.

The rules include a requirement that GF-2032 cannot be being applied onto, over or into water to prevent harm to aquatic life.

They also require that the pesticide is supplied with a label warning of the effects on bees. Sulfoxaflor is very toxic to foraging bees if they come into direct contact with wet spray droplets, so instructions must be included on the label stating when the product cannot be applied.