HGCA has published a review of the implications to the cereals and oilseeds sector following a recent decision by the European Commission to restrict the use of some neonicotinoid insecticides.

On 24th May 2013, restrictions on the use of the clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam neonicotinoid insecticides were adopted by the Commission. The restrictions will apply from 1st December 2013. In anticipation of this decision, HGCA has reviewed the implications of the restrictions on crop protection for the cereals and oilseeds sector.

Prior to the release of the European Food Safety Authority review of neonicotinoids in January, a report commissioned by pesticide industry groups estimated that the controversial treatments are worth £630million to UK agriculture. However, critics questioned the study's findings, pointing out that pollinators are worth three times as much, and calling on lawmakers to abide by the precautionary principle over the issue.

The UK government has strongly opposed measures to restrict neonicotinoid use on both national and EU levels. To support its stance, Defra commissioned its own research showed, which found no link between neonicotinoid use and bee colony health.

However, an EFSA evaluation of this study found it to be deeply flawed, and the government has been criticised for attempting to suggest that its study, which was not peer-reviewed and was released onto the internet, carried the same weight as the two studies published in top-tier journal Science, which reignited the neonicotinoid debate and led EFSA to recommend restricting certain uses of the pesticides in March last year.  

With sections on the different cereal and oilseed crops, Research Review 77 takes a close look at the key pests controlled by neonicotinoid seed treatments in cereals and oilseeds, including viruses transmitted by the pests along with alternative control options and insecticide resistance challenges.

Caroline Nicholls, HGCA Research and Knowledge Transfer Manager, said, "The greatest impact will be on oilseed rape, as these seed treatments are used to control cabbage stem flea beetle and peach–potato aphids which transmit turnip yellows virus.

"The situation is not as severe for cereal crops, as winter seed treated with neonicotinoids can still be used in autumn to control aphids carrying barley yellow dwarf virus. The restrictions only affect cereal crops sown between January and June."

The implications outlined in the review are given in an economic context.

"The potential total cost to the UK industry from not controlling cabbage stem flea beetle and turnip yellows virus in oilseed rape could be £72M a year," said Ms Nicholls. "Alternative chemical control options are available in most situations but there is a risk of resistance developing to some of the alternatives. To help manage the resistance threat, spray decisions should be made using crop monitoring and spray threshold information."

HGCA's cabbage stem flea beetle publication (IS24) has been revised to help growers assess the need to use foliar-applied pyrethroid insecticides to control adult beetles and larvae. HGCA is reviewing all of its publications affected by the decision.

A publication Neonicotinoids: key messages has been made available in time for this year's Cereals event and Caroline Nicholls from HGCA and other researchers will be on the HGCA stand to discuss the issue with growers.

For further information or to download the publications, visit www.hgca.com/neonics