Thursday, 25 June 2015
Public consultation on acetamiprid
A public consultation has opened on an application by forest managers to continue to use the pesticide acetamiprid in FSC certified forests in the UK.
Acetamiprid, often marketed as Gazelle, is used in some UK forests to protect young planted trees from pine weevils (Hylobius abietis) and black pine and spruce beetles (Hylastes spp.), which may ring-bark and kill them. It is used as an alternative to the pesticides cypermethrin and alpha-cypermethrin, which are applied for the same purpose.
A key element of FSC’s Pesticides Policy is the identification and avoidance of highly hazardous pesticides in FSC certified forests. The technical indicators and thresholds for the identification of such pesticides based on their active ingredients were recently revised, and the resulting list of highly hazardous pesticides (available at http://pesticides.fsc.org/documents/fsc-list-of-hi […]) was issued in February 2015. Acetamiprid is now included in the list on the basis of its acute toxicity to mammals and birds.
The listing of a pesticide as ‘highly hazardous’ does not mean that the pesticide cannot be used under any circumstances, but in order to reduce the risk of negative environmental or human health impacts these pesticides shall only be used in FSC certified forests if there is no viable alternative. Non-chemical methods or less hazardous pesticides shall be preferred, and ultimately the use of the most hazardous pesticides should be eliminated.
Forest owners and managers wishing to use highly hazardous pesticides must justify such use through a specific process which includes consultation with social, environmental and economic stakeholders. This is the ‘derogation’ process; if the Pesticides Committee of FSC International approves an application, a temporary derogation to use a pesticide will be granted for up to five years, during which time the applicants will be expected to continue to research less hazardous alternatives. Temporary derogations are in place in the UK for the use of cypermethrin and alpha-cypermethrin for weevil control, and for warfarin for grey squirrel control. An extension is currently being sought for another existing derogation, for the herbicide propyzamide.
A number of managers of certified forests in the UK are seeking a derogation to continue to use acetamiprid to control Hylobius and Hylastes. Information on the application, including a short film outlining the rationale for the use of acetamiprid, can be found at http://ukwas.org.uk/article/consultation-on-propos […]. Stakeholders are encouraged to comment on the application during the public consultation period, which runs from 23 June 2015 to 6 August 2015.
For further information on FSC’s Pesticides Policy and on integrated pest management, visit http://pesticides.fsc.org/.