Paraquat Stephen Salter Andre de Bruin Mike Parker
Crop # growers Land area (ha) Value ($m) # employed #employed in directly packhouses Beans & Peas 467 9,750 $159 75 800 Brassicas 125 2,800 $83 473 91 Celery 17 150 $9 Unavailable Cherries 88 645 $93 5,500 Kumara 48 1,600 $50 545 100 Lettuce 100 1,350 $43 282 132 Melons 20 273 $29 Unavailable Onions 95 5,235 $136 Unavailable Silverbeet/Spinach 15 200 $12 Unavailable Squash 25 6,526 $62 345 65 Sweetcorn 180 3,871 $73 160 540 TOTAL 1180 32,400 $749 Total employed: 9,100+
Our information • How it was obtained • Sections 5 and 6 of the Act • Unique properties of paraquat - benefits • Why it is critical that it remains available
Human Health 3 year rolling average of calls received by the NZ National Poisions Centre 10 9 8 Mean Nnumber of calls/year 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Middle year of average
Risk to Birds • Birds flee when spraying occurs • Strong concerns regarding model accuracy and validity • “Even when the crop is unpalatable, it is assumed that weeds and weed seeds will be available as food for birds and mammals” – pg 26 EFSA Guidance • Insecticides and Fungicides ? Fast-acting herbicides X • Re-application -> Timing means seeds often unavailable for exposure • Translocation? Doesn’t appear to be accounted for • LD50s for species with similar diets to model scenarios should be used
600g/ai/ha/yr • Flexibility = good • Doesn’t allow for many of the use patterns reported by growers - Brassicas (810) - Cherries (2160) - Kumara (potentially 2000) - Lettuce (810) - Onions (810) - Spinach/Silverbeet (810)
Other Controls • Buffer Zones – Droplet sizes • Responsible Handling Information • Permissions for Biosecurity use • Timing of application restrictions - Should be 24 months and match label requirements - Labelling Notice - Poisons Centre Data
The continued use of paraquat in vegetable production. Kumara case study Andre de Bruin
Welcome to our place AJ & KL De Bruin ltd. Growers who Care Our Mission is to To produce a consistently high standard of quality produce. To use sustainable, safe, best practice techniques, ensuring positive outcomes for our produce our people and our land. 9
The kumara industry is based in the Delta of the Northern Wairoa river 10
A Snapshot of the Kumara Industry in Kaipara • Kumara Industry has huge cultural as well as economic importance to the Kaipara and wider Northland region. • Between 80 to 90% of New Zealand’s kumara is grown on the alluvial flats surrounding Ruawai and Dargaville. • The Industry covers about 2000 ha of which about 1200 ha is cultivated in any one year • Over 200 full time people & a further 1000 seasonal workers, the majority are northland locals. • Returned over $50 million per year (Last 4 years average) to the district. 11
Kumara planting - Very different to potato 12
Weed strike - 7 days after 15mm of rain 13
You cannot successfully mechanically In row weed Good spray coverage is essential. Coarse nozzles will reduce effectiveness 14
When you get it wrong! Hand weeding will not save you 15
Rain events 1. Trigger mass weed strikes. 2. Require further weed control. 3. Cannot mechanical weed. 16
Last run of the morning - Spraying paraquat (Gramoxone). Finished for the day just on 7am 17
Kumara field mid season No Paraquat is used on Kumara after canopy runs 18
Biological controls are a big part of our weed control programme Hand weeding Green crops Long and short rotations with pasture/cattle and sheep 19
Harvesting – Canopy removal mulcher 20
Summary 1. Only spray when required - Over spraying reduces yield. 2. Must be able to repeat spray. 3. No bird issues. 4. No re-entry or bystander issues. 5. PPE is standard when using paraquat. 6. Some limited hand gun spraying is used for very specific situations e.g. under covers - no residue issues. 7. Operate under Growsafe and NZ Gap. 8. Professional growers. 21
Thank you for visiting our place AJ & KL De Bruin ltd. Growers who Care 22
The essential use of Paraquat Mike Parker (Vice Chair and Director: Stalks, Vines, Herbs & Bulbs) Parker’s Gardens Hamilton 23
Farm Features • Home bock 15ha. • Flat to very gentle rolling. • Maize, sweetcorn, watermelon, rockmelon, some livestock. • Two soil types – Horitou silt loam and clay loam. • Annual rainfall -1125mm. • Irrigation limited to Horticulture only and generally only in January/February. • Additional leased land. (same contour and soil type) 24
A mixed enterprise – Horticulture 25
Arable - Maize 26
Winter livestock 27
Paraquat use 28
Paraquat use 29
Paraquat use 30
Paraquat use 31
Crop boundaries – resistance management 32
Resistance management • Alternate groups D (paraquat), G (glyphosate – tolerance to mallows and nettles), H (glufosinate – kills clovers) every 4-5 applications. Only 3 chemicals with broad spectrum knockdown and Paraquat only one not translocated and therefore ideal for inter-row uses where crop exists. 33
Birds • Application machinery is noisy and paraquat formulations dry very rapidly (within 5 minutes) and therefore the likelihood of poisoning birds is extremely remote. • In 40 years of applying paraquat formulations I have never seen birds enter the paddock while spraying was in progress 34
Since Dec. 2017 stringent requirements for certified handlers of classes 6.1A and B • Worksafe Reg 4.3 – “ a certified handler must know and be able to describe the hazard classifications, properties, and adverse effects etc” • Must also have a std Growsafe certificate, inventory, emergency response plan, SDSheets, PPE fit for purpose, tracking etc. • Above CH requirements should be sufficient without further controls, especially if audited and under NZGAP. 35
Application • Closed cabs should not be necessary – booms well behind and full PPE requirement. Note mixing requires PPE. • Closed mixing and loading systems should not be mandatory. Note that in all systems lids have to be removed and even in closed systems often measuring is required. In all cases PPE needs to be worn at this stage when the concentrate is being handled. • Knapsack or handheld should be permitted as PPE isolates the risk and also dealing with small quantities (about 40mls ) • Applications are made to small far more vulnerable weeds (less wax on cuticles of leave and NOT in flower) and therefore bee’s not an issue. Generally spot spraying. • 600gms ai/ha would be acceptable for my growing operation, but per crop season would make more sense than per year. 36
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