Monheim, Germany
February 11, 2009
Company convinced that clothianidin can be safely used
In a communication dated February 9, 2009 the Federal Office for
Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) informed that the
authorizations of several neonicotinoid active ingredients for
maize seed treatment remain suspended. Authorization for
clothianidin and a number of other insecticides had been
suspended in connection with bee losses in the Upper Rhine
valley in spring 2008 until such time as the causes had been
completely accounted for. Whilst the plant protection product
Mesurol® can be used again in maize, subject to restrictions the
Federal Agency stated that “the data necessary for a reliable
assessment of the effects are not yet sufficient” for this group
of active ingredients.
Bayer CropScience
has submitted comprehensive safety assessment documents for
clothianidin as a seed treatment product in maize. In the
opinion of Bayer CropScience, the documents provided by the
company clearly show that there are no risks to either users or
the environment when suitable adhesives are used for seed
dressing, converted sowing machines are used, and seed treated
with clothianidin is correctly sown.
The company is of the opinion that these data could be speedily
evaluated to ensure that clothianidin, a product which is of
urgent necessity for the treatment of maize seeds, can be made
available again for agricultural use.
In cooperation with the sowing machine manufacturers and in
close consultation with the competent registration authorities
and official testing centres, Bayer CropScience has in recent
months developed technical conversion concepts which ensure a
reduction of dust drift to the minimum. By expelling the exhaust
air close to the ground, they prevent abrasion dusts entering
the surrounding air during sowing and eventually coming into
contact with other plants. The effectiveness of these
conversions has been confirmed by extensive testing procedures
at the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI). A list of authorized maize
sowing machines has been placed by the JKI on its website
www.jki.bund.de, and is regularly updated.
According to the facts and expert assessments at present
available to Bayer CropScience, guttation from treated plants
has no effect on the health of bee colonies under conditions of
normal agricultural practice. The German bee monitoring
programme from 2004 to 2008 also found no causal connection
between neonicotinoid pesticides and bee health irrespective of
the source of exposure. This has been further confirmed by the
results of investigations in France.
In view of these considerations, Bayer CropScience sees no good
reason for the suspension of insecticidal products for maize
seed treatment and will request further meetings on the subject
with the competent authorities.
Cause of bee losses in Baden-Württemberg identified
In the concluding report recently published by the
Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs, it is
stated that the bee deaths in the Upper Rhine valley in 2008
were due to inadequately treated seed and to a sowing technology
which expels the outgoing air from the machines upwards.
“However, the results give no reason to assume general
inadequacies on the part of particular seed producers or seed
dressing facilities,” said Minister Peter Hauk when presenting
the report. He maintained that the general safety of seed
treatment products was not put in question.
Bayer CropScience attaches the highest priority to the safe use
and environmental friendliness of its products. For this reason
the company does not confine its efforts to the development of
technical solutions but also runs training programmes concerned
with the safe and environmentally compatible use of its seed
treatment products. These supplement the company’s safety and
quality concept.
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the
fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer
CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of
about EUR 5.8 billion (2007), is one of the world’s leading
innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant
biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable
agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer
CropScience has a global workforce of about 17,800 and is
represented in more than 120 countries
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the
fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer
CropScience AG, a subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of
about EUR 6.4 billion (2008), is one of the world’s leading
innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop
protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant
biotechnology. The company offers an outstanding range of
products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable
agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer
CropScience has a global workforce of more than 18,000 and is
represented in more than 120 countries. |
|