EPA keeps watching brief on Canada’s neonicotinoid decision

EPA keeps watching brief on Canada’s neonicotinoid decision\

The EPA is keeping a watching brief on international developments following Health Canada’s proposed re-evaluation decision of agricultural use of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid, which it states is unsustainable.

The announcement, on November 24, came at the same time as Health Canada announced a Special Review of two other neonicotinoids: clothianidin and thiamethoxam.

All three active ingredients are approved in pesticide formulations used in New Zealand in a variety of horticultural and agricultural settings.

Health Canada’s announcement comes after it found current levels of imidacloprid in its waterways and aquatic environments to be harmful to aquatic insects, such as mayflies and midges, an important source of food for fish, birds and other animals.

Health Canada has since published a proposed risk assessment for public comment which proposes a three- to five-year phase-out of agricultural uses of imidacloprid to address these concerns.

Dr Fiona Thomson-Carter, EPA’s General Manager of Hazardous Substances and New Organisms, says it is important to note that risks to bees and other pollinators, often the source of concern in relation to the use of neonicotinoids, were not a part of the re-evaluation document.

“We also note that no suggestion of risk to human health has been identified in relation to the ongoing use of any of these neonicotinoids. However, in line with our usual practice, the EPA will fully analyse Health Canada’s proposed re-evaluation decision, and will continue to assess all emerging international data, as it is made available, so that we can factor them into our decision-making and our reassessment priorities.”

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