EPA calls for information on two neonicotinoids

The Environmental Protection Authority, which recently announced that grounds exist to reassess all neonicotinoid use in New Zealand, is calling for information on two neonicotinoids, thiacloprid and acetamiprid.

Neonicotinoids are a group of insecticides that have been the subject of ongoing debate regarding their effects on bee populations internationally. Grounds, the formal step that opens the reassessment pathway, were announced on January 27.

A reassessment is a formal review of the rules controlling a substance that is already in use in New Zealand.

Thiacloprid and acetamiprid are used in New Zealand as leaf sprays, home garden insecticides and timber treatments.

The EPA is seeking information on the types of products that use thiacloprid and acetamiprid, the ways in which they are being used, the prevalence of those uses, their positive or adverse effects, and specific mitigation measures that are being used to protect our environment and human health.

“All of the information will help us decide whether to reassess neonicotinoids, and if we do, specifically what aspects of their use will be reviewed,” says the EPA’s Acting General Manager Hazardous Substances and New Organisms, Doug Jones.

“What we receive will be added to what we gathered in 2018, when we called for information on the other three neonicotinoids approved for use in New Zealand – imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam.” 

The recent decision that grounds exist to reassess neonicotinoids aligns with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s (APVMA) announcement that it plans to conduct a chemical review of neonicotinoid use in Australia.

“We are looking to work with our Australian counterparts to review the technical information on understanding environmental risk, given the broad similarities in products used in Australia and New Zealand,” says Doug Jones.

Submissions close at 5pm on 12 July.

Read about the call for information on thiacloprid and acetamiprid
Read the grounds decision document (PDF, 313KB)
Read the APVMA’s announcement of its neonicotinoid review – APVMA website
Read more about the reassessment process
Read about protecting our pollinators

Source:  Environmental Protection Authority

Author: Bob Edlin

Editor of AgScience Magazine and Editor of the AgScience Blog

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