19 August 2015

EPA announces new controls for OPC insecticides

An Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) decision-making committee has released its decision to modify 15 approvals for substances containing organophosphate or carbamate (OPC) chemicals. The modified reassessment was carried out to determine and apply appropriate non-contact periods to certain pesticides, or how long must be allowed between spraying and when the plant begins to flower. This is to protect bees and other insect pollinators from being exposed to harmful pesticides after they have been applied to plants.

The reassessment’s purpose was to determine a non-contact period for plant protection products (pesticides) containing acephate, dimethoate, methamidophos, methomyl and oxamyl. The EPA has set non-contact periods for four of these five substances. Changes to product labels that will need to be made as the result of this reassessment are being phased in and will take full effect on 1 July 2016.

The EPA invited submissions on the reassessment, with seventeen submissions received from individuals, community and iwi groups, beekeepers, manufacturers and horticultural industry groups.

After considering all relevant information, the committee decided it was important to balance the environmental risks of not having non-contact periods with the economic risks to growers from not being able to use particular pest control tools at key times. As a result the Committee has set non-contact periods, but has applied specific crop-based exemptions to some active ingredients to manage the economic risks.

The Committee set non-contact periods of seven days for products containing acephate (except in lemons) or dimethoate; eight days for methomyl (except in strawberries and greenhouse tomatoes) and 10 days for oxamyl (except in greenhouse tomatoes).

The Committee also decided to phase in the new requirements to accommodate the necessary changes to product labels. These rules will come into effect on 1 July 2016.

View application details and decision documents

The EPA’s role is to decide on applications under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act to import and manufacture hazardous substances. We put controls in place to manage the risks of hazardous substances to safeguard people and the environment.

ENDS

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