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Syngenta expects to reapply for neonicotinoids exemption
Jul. 8, 2014
It comes after the multinational company withdrew an application it hoped would see farmers granted permission to use treated seed when crops are drilled next month at the start of the 2014-15 growing season.
Syngenta says it decided to withdraw its application for the emergency use of its neonicotinoid seed treatment Cruiser on winter oilseed rape following an assessment of the current planting schedule for growers. It is now looking to make a new application for 2015-16.
An EU ban on neonicotinoid insecticides was introduced last December amid claims that the chemicals are harmful to bee populations. But many within the farming industry believe those assertions are ill-founded.
Defra can grant an exemption for the emergency use of neonicotinoid seed treatments – if it thinks doing so is necessary. Strict conditions are likely to be attached, including restrictions on drilling dates and the need to justify the reason for using the treatment.
The government’s Advisory Committee on Pesticides indicated that the criteria for the emergency use of neonicotinoids this autumn had been met. But Defra had still not made a final decision by the end of June – too late to give Syngenta time to supply treated seed to farmers.
Syngenta says it believes the government’s opposition to the EU-wide restriction of neonicotinoid pesticides remains unchanged. And it says it welcomes the fact that the government will be assessing the establishment of oilseed crop in the UK this autumn.
“Based on this assessment, Syngenta will consider making a new application for the 2015-16 season to ensure British farmers have access to a technology which helps them to grow crops sustainably and which is safe for bees,” says a statement from the firm.
The NFU says it remains disappointed and frustrated that Defra was unable to respond positively to Syngenta’s request in time for autumn drilling. The loss of Cruiser will make it needlessly more complicated to grow oilseed rape this season, says NFU vice-president Guy Smith.
“It is very frustrating that – after the Advisory Committee on Pesticides had indicated that the conditions for approval had been met – it was not possible for a decision to be made in time for Syngenta to prepare seeds for this year’s planting.
“The whole issue has been heavily politicised and manipulated with misinformation by campaign groups with their own agenda against pesticide use, without concern for the consequences for this country’s productive capacity or indeed for the potential unintended consequences for bee populations.”
Source: Farmers Weekly
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