Syngenta’s thiamethoxam‑containing products have received emergency use authorization in England.

Release Date:

2022-01-20

In light of the risk of yellows virus disease to England’s sugar beet crops, the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has granted an emergency temporary authorization permitting the use of neonicotinoid pesticides for disease control on sugar beet crops in 2022.

Newly emerged beet seedlings are highly susceptible to aphid predation, and aphids can transmit beet yellowing virus. This disease has severely impacted beet crops, with 2020 yields falling by a quarter compared to previous years. Other chemical pesticides and organic treatments have proven ineffective in controlling the virus.

In the United Kingdom, 63% of sugar is derived from domestically grown sugar beets; if this crop were to suffer widespread infection nationwide, it could jeopardize the sugar supply. The neonicotinoid pesticide granted emergency authorization is Syngenta’s Cruiser SB, which can be used to urgently control a virus that has the potential to severely impact sugar beet yields. The sugar beet industry is currently developing alternative solutions. This emergency authorization is subject to strict time limits, and the product’s special temporary use will be tightly regulated, permitted only under very specific circumstances that meet stringent criteria.

The maximum permitted application rate is 6% of the active‑ingredient quantity that was used on a range of crops prior to the 2016 ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. The authorization is subject to conditions, including reduced application rates and a 32‑month prohibition on planting any flowering crops in the same field following use of the product on sugar beet.

This authorization establishes an initial usage threshold: the seed treatment may be applied only when the virus prevalence, as projected by independent modeling, reaches or exceeds 19% of the national crop. If the virus threshold is not met, neonicotinoid‑treated seeds must not be used. This requirement is consistent with that in place at the time the measure was last implemented in early 2021.

Since the EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments took effect—though the United Kingdom has not imposed such a ban—12 major EU sugar-producing countries, including France, Belgium, Denmark, and Spain, have each granted emergency authorizations for neonicotinoid seed treatments over the past three years.

The United Kingdom’s approach to the use of emergency authorizations has not changed with its withdrawal from the European Union; rather, it remains consistent with practices across Europe. The UK’s efforts to leverage scientific advances, including gene editing, will also help develop crops that are more resistant to aphids and other pests.

A spokesperson for the UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs stated:

“This decision was not made lightly; it was based on a rigorous scientific assessment. We carefully evaluate risks, and temporary emergency authorization for restricted pesticides is granted only under exceptional circumstances that meet stringent criteria.”

“Last year, the threshold was not met, so this authorization was not granted. We have consistently applied stringent standards, which means this authorization is used only when absolutely necessary.”

Source: AgroPages (World Agrochemical Network)

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