Regulating chemicals – Agcarm says NZ has strong stewardship of them in food production

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, is proposing changes to the way New Zealand manages chemicals to ensure their environmental impacts are not overlooked.

In a report released today, ‘Regulating the Environmental Fate of Chemicals’, he asks how well our regulatory system understands the environmental fate of chemicals, including agrichemicals such as neonicotinoids, terbuthylazine, Zinc bacitracin (antibiotics mainly used for poultry) and tetracycline antibiotics used in veterinary medicine applications.

On paper, a robust system is in place to assess risks when a chemical is introduced to the country, the commissioner says in the report.

But many chemicals that have been in use for decades have not been subject to close scrutiny, although much of the science on their environmental impact has changed

Mr Upton says the rules about how a chemical can be used shouldn’t be static – regulatory authorities need to be able to adapt as new information comes to light.

Agricultural organisations join to promote bee safety

The responsible use of products is the driver for the bee responsible campaign launched by Agcarm, NZ Aviation in Agriculture, and Rural Contractors New Zealand.

The campaign is being promoted during September to coincide with Bee Aware Month as well as the peak sale of agrichemicals.

Agcarm chief executive Mark Ross said agrichemicals are vital for ensuring the security of the food supply and, when used responsibly, “pose no threat to our bee population.” But “we must remain vigilant and address any potential risks to our bees.”

He emphasised the importance of manufacturers of agrichemicals having clear label statements regarding safety precautions for their products, including describing how to protect pollinators.

Survey finds queen problems are the biggest health issue for bees

New Zealand honey bee population is growing and bee losses are low on an international scale, the inaugural NZ Colony Loss and Survival Survey has found.

Queen problems were the main contributing factor to the honey bee losses, which averaged 10.73 per cent over the 2015 winter season. This is because a well-mated healthy queen drives the reproduction and growth of a colony, according to the report.

Starvation was the most common cause for colony loss. Weak, unhealthy, and sick bees are less likely to survive wintering, which leads to losses of entire colonies.

The survey found the parasitic varroa mite is also one of the biggest challenges to the health of the bee population. Evidence of the mite ranged from 72.7 per cent in Marlborough/Nelson/West Coast area to 28 per cent in Otago/Southland (the last region of New Zealand to be infested by varroa).

Agcarm chief executive, Mark Ross says:

“The survey is critical not only because it informs us on bee health, but because it allows us to make better choices to protect our bee population and to track changes on colony loss and survival for the future.

“The report shows that we still have some work to do – to make sure our bees are well-fed; freed of varroa; and protected from wasps. But, overall, our bee population is thriving – which is good news especially after all of the over-dramatised aspersions on the state of our pollinators.”

The survey was conducted in October 2015 by Landcare Research. It was funded by Agcarm, the Ministry for Primary Industries, National Beekeepers Association and Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group.

Scholarship winner aims to prevent biosecurity disasters

 

Horticulture student Yvette Jones plans to put her studies to good use preventing biosecurity disasters like PSA affecting New Zealand growers.

The 19-year-old bachelor of agricultural science student at Massey University has just won a $2,500 horticultural scholarship from Agcarm to help her.

Growing up in the Bay of Plenty, Yvette was surrounded by large horticultural enterprises and experienced  first-hand the devastation of PSA – a bacterial kiwifruit vine disease first detected in 2010.

 “One of the reasons I’m so interested in maintaining New Zealand’s biosecurity is to prevent events like this affecting whole communities again. I think the horticulture industry definitely showed resilience in past years as the kiwifruit industry has grown and recovered. Some amazing new research and cultivars have been developed to help growers start over.

Her passion for horticulture developed while at school and when conducting research for the Manuka Research Group project which aims to grow the global potential of New Zealand’s honey industry. The experience gave her a taste for research and urged her to pursue a Masters or PhD.

Yvette is keen to promote horticulture as an option to prospective students. It is undervalued as a profession, she says.

Agcarm is an industry association of companies which manufacture, distribute and sell products that keep animals healthy and crops thriving.

Agcarm challenges EU ban on pesticides to protect honeybees

Agcarm, the New Zealand organisation which represents manufacturers and distributors of crop protection and animal health products, has sided with scientists who challenge the weight of evidence in support of the European Union’s neonicotinoid ban.

Scientific American reported last week the ban was gathering scientific support although some experts were calling for more field studies.

The goal is to reverse massive honeybee hive die-offs.

The EU decided to impose the ban this week.