Doc. No 6 Subject: FW: Hot Topics brief for Turriff show discussion event: Importance: High To see last item in briefing pack for Turriff which is on pesticides. Hot topics brief, Turrif Show Thanks, Doc 6 attachment Hot topics - Pesticides Top Lines On neonicotinoid emergency authorisation: The English emergency authorisation will allow seed accounting for 5% of the English oilseed rape area to be treated with one of two specified neonicotinoid treatments in order to protect oilseed rape crops in four English counties from attack by cabbage stem flea beetle. The treated seed will not be available to Scottish growers. On endocrine disruptors and potential removal of pesticides from approved list: 0 Very important that'nc pesticides are approved unless we are clear that they are safe for human and animal health and for the environment. Officials met with industry representatives to discuss implications of removals. ImpOrtant that we understand the impacts of any changes. Key facts: - Regulatory background I - 0 ?Active ingredients? (ie pesticides) are authorised by Europe. 0 The authorisation of specific mixtures of these authorised pesticides, which are known as ?pesticide products? is devolved to the Member State. In the UK the Chemical Regulation Directorate part of the HSE is the UK regulator. 0 ?Emergency authorisations? apply to ?pesticides products? and so are considered by the Member State. In the UK, they are also reviewed by an independent committee, the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP) who provide advice to UK Ministers. If there was an application for an emergency authorisation in Scotland it would be dealt with by CRD on the basis of the advice they received from Scottish ministers. European ban on neonicotinoids: 0 Europe restricted the use of three neonicotinoids on crops that have flowers that are attractive to bees from 1 December 2013. Some other uses of these three neonicotinoids are still allowed. 0 In Scotland the only crop that has flowers attractive to bees is oilseed rape. In Scotland about 90% of the oilseed rape Crop is winter oilseed rape. . . 0 Because the ban started on 1? December 2013, some winter oilseed rape which was harvested last summer (2014) was treatedwith neonicotinoids. This summer?s harvest is the first year when all oilseed rape will not have been grown from any neonicotinoid treated seed. 0 Europe?s restrictions will remain in place until the European Commission decides to lift them and this will only be after scientific assessment supports the lifting of the ban. A number of reSearch studies have been published since Europe banned neonicotinoids. Overall the science is still mixed in terms of what the impact on pollinators is when neonicotinoids are used in the field, however the evidence base for field level effects seems to be strengthening. Current emergency authorisations; 0 Emergency authorisations can be allowed to tackle unforeseen situations, there must be no effective economic alternative treatment available and they must be limited in scale. 7 countries including England, Finland, Latvia, Romania, Estonia, Denmark and Bulgaria) have approved ?emergency authorisations? for use of neonicotinoid seed treatments of oilseed rape. In England the emergency authorisation will allow Bayer's ?Modesto? and Syngenta's ?Cruiser? to be applied to some oilseed rape seed This emergency authorisation will last for 120 days. The authorisatibn applies to the pesticide and not to the treated seed. - 5% of the English oilseed Rape seed will be treated with these neonicotinoid products and the treated seed can only be sown in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire which are the counties hardest hit by cabbage stem flea beetle. . The amount of neonicotinoid which has been authorised in England is enough to treat seed for around 30,000 hectares of oilseed rape ie roughly 30% of the area of oilseed rape?in these four English counties. No further seed will be treated onCe stocks have been used up. Farmers in these 4 English counties will need to make field-by?field requests-to use the treated seed which must be accompanied by a BASIS qualified agronomists recommendation. I - Scottish oilseed rape growers will not have access to this treated seed. Defra say they fully applied the precautionary principle and take decisions based on science once regulators are satisfied-the pesticides are safe to people and the environment. Endocrine disruptors Endocrine disruptor is a'term that covers chemicals that disrupt the normal functioning of endocrine glands. They include a very wide range of natural and chemicals including some pesticides and chemicals involved in making plastics. Endocrine disruptors can affect the level of sex hormones in mammals including humans. - Because many different types of chemical can disrupt normal endocrine gland function, there is no simple definition for an endocrine disruptor. Europe has still to agree what sort of chemical constitutes an endocrine disruptor but it is likely that a number (around 20) of major use pesticides currently approved pesticides might be classed as endocrine disruptors and so be removed from approval, since they would then be regarded as a hazard. Industry is concerned by Europe using hazard rather than risk?based assessments since this will remove many pesticides currently in use in Scotland. - In Scotland removal of these pesticides would be most significant for horticulture and soft fruit growers and there could also be an impact for spring barley production. 0 A submission! and letter for you to send to the European Commissioner for Health is in your box, asking that no pesticides be removed from approval before conducting a full impact assessment What are we doing about it: Neonicotinoids: 0 We will continue tomonitor yields and SASA will conduct another survey of the impact on oilseed rape crops in 2015/16. In 2014115 SASA are surveying oilseed rape growers accounting for 15% of the Scottish winter oilseed rape crop. In this sample less than 1% of the crop was lost due to pesticide damage that could be attributed to lack of neonicotinoid seed treatment. 0 Around 40 hectares and 3 growers (out of 97 growers) had to redrill I their crop. However insect pressure was low in 2014. 0 Only 2% of farmers surveyed said they were less likely to grow the crop in future'because neonicotinoid treated seed was no longer. available. In total 7% of farmers said they would be less likely to grow the crop in future La 5% for reasons other than lack of neonicotinoids. So far, annual Scottish crop census figures do not suggest that farmers are switching away from growing oilseed rape, Areas tend to fluctuate according too other factors like market prices but we need to wait for the 2015 census data (early results due October) before'we can see if the removal of neonicotinoids has caused a reduction in the Scottish oilseed crop area. Pesticide Usage survey shows that more foliar chemicals such as pyrethroids being used since Europe restricted the use of the three neonicotinoids. Emergency authorisation If an application emergency authorisation was made for Scotland would need to: . be sure that there was scientific evidence that it was an unforeseen emergency be sure that there were no alternative treatments (chemical or other) available be sure that the intended use was limited and not ?business as usual? 0 consider what the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides had to say 0 provide advice to the Chemical Regulation Directorate (CRD). Endocrine disruptors Officials had a very constructive meeting with the industry (NFUS, AIC Crop protection Association) earlier this summer to discuss the potential loss of pesticides. -