AUSTRALIAN grain and cotton producers are monitoring the trade implications of a European Union ban on the herbicide diquat to see whether it will restrict their own use of the product.
The European Commission last week voted not to continue the registration for diquat, commonly used in crop desiccant products, due to concerns about its impact on bird life.
In Australia, diquat is an active ingredient in desiccants such as Reglone and Spray Seed, which are widely used in a range of crops.
Australia’s main grain export to the EU is canola and Australian Oilseeds Federation (AOF) executive director Nick Goddard said the industry was closely monitoring the situation to see whether it would mean changes to EU import standards.
“It is a concern, it won’t be an issue for this harvest but for the 2019 harvest it is something we are looking at,” Mr Goddard said.
“We basically use two active iingredients in desiccants here in Australia, diquat and glyphosate, and the last thing we want to see is a move where we have to rely on just one.”
Adam Kay, Cotton Australia chief executive, said while diquat was now not widely used in cotton, it was concerning to see regulators make decisions not necessarily supported by science.
“The EU has banned neo-nicotinoid insecticides, it has gone within a whisper of banning glyphosate and now this, and I would argue the science does not necessarily support this and that the decisions are based more on public sentiment,” Mr Kay said.
“It highlights what a good job our regulator, the APVMA (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority) is doing in making science-based decisions.
“They are conducting thorough investigations and if products are found to be unsafe then they are not registered, the important thing is that it is all based on science.”
On the cotton production front he said farmers had moved on from the use of the diquat-based Reglone to primarily use the thidazuron / diuron-based Dropp as a crop defoliant so there will be very little direct implication from the decision.
Andrew Weidemann, Grain Producers Australia, said the ban would have an effect globally.
“The EU seem to be banning or trying to ban products which are critical in conservation agriculture,” Mr Weidemann said.
“It may be OK within their farming systems where tillage is not as damaging to soil structure but there are other parts of the world, such as Australia, where we can’t rely on cultivation as a weed control practice.”
Syngenta, the manufacturer of Reglone and Spray Seed, said it was disappointed with the decision.
A Syngenta spokesperson said the company did not feel the decision took into account the actual risk of exposure and the way the product is used.
“While this unjustifiable decision will have a major negative impact on EU farmers, we are taking active steps to ensure the EU decision does not limit the ability of Australian growers to use Syngenta’s diquat products in export crops destined for European Union markets,” the spokesperson said.
“In this regard, we will be applying for import tolerances for key crops traded with the EU before the product is phased out in Europe by 2020.”