By Bruce Potter
There is an EPA open public comment period for ecological risk assessments for EPA registration review of four neonicotinoid insecticides. This open comment period ends Feb 20, 2018.
The announcement for this review is available at: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OPP-2011-0581-0102. This is an opportunity for the agricultural community to comment on the benefits of these widely used insecticides.
The crops of EPA focus are:
- Clothianidin : citrus, cotton, cucurbits
- Dinotefuran: cucurbits [cantaloupes, cucumbers, and watermelons], grapes, and rice
- Imidacloprid: broad range of seed treatment, soil applied and foliar uses
- Thiamethoxam: soybeans, corn, cotton, rice, grapes, turf, potatoes, tree fruit and nuts, sugar beets, wheat
The above crop list is not comprehensive. For example, corn seed treatments containing clothianidin should be considered. Following are some of the products that include these compounds:
- Clothianidin is found in several seed treatments (e.g. Poncho®) and foliar (e.g. Belay®)
- Thiamethoxam is found in seed treatments (e.g. Cruiser®), Soil applied (e.g. Platinum®) and foliar pre-mixes (e.g. Endigo®)
- Imidacloprid is found in seed treatments (e.g. Gaucho®), seed and soil applied (e.g. Admire®) and foliar pre-mixes (e.g. Brigadier®, Leverage®)
- Dinotefuron (e.g. Safari) is mainly used in ornamental plantings and vegetables.
Links to the dockets (way for the EPA to obtain public comment) for the individual insecticides can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-releases-neonicotinoid-assessments-public-comment. Here, the risk assessment supporting documents can be reviewed, comments already submitted read, and any comments you may have posted.