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Picoxystrobin. Possible effects on earthworms. Minutes of the January 17, 2002 UK Advisory Committee on Pesticides.


http://www.pesticides.gov.uk/committees/ACP/ACP-289_mins.htm

MINUTES OF THE 289th MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON PESTICIDES (ACP) ON 17th JANUARY 2002

The Advisory Committee on Pesticides provides independent advice to Ministers on matters relating to the regulation and use of pesticides, including applications for approval of new products and reviews of existing approvals. It usually meets in closed session (because of intellectual property and commercial secrecy considerations) approximately eight times a year in York.

Representatives from the following Departments and other organisations were present:
The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Department of Health (DH), Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Food Standards Agency (FSA), Biological and Ecological Chemistry Department of IACR-Rothamstead (BEC) (BBSRC), Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA) and Interdepartmental Group on Health Risks from Chemicals (IGHRC).

At its meeting on 17 January 2002, the Committee discussed the following issues:

3.11 - (k) Other matters arising: Picoxystrobin Ð risk to worms

3.11.1 - At the 288th meeting, Members had considered the first evaluation of a full safety and efficacy dossier supporting an application for approval of picoxystrobin, a new fungicide intended to control a number of diseases in wheat and barley. Concerns had been raised regarding possible effects of the active substance on earthworms that had been observed under abnormal field conditions. The Committee had agreed to recommend provisional approval, subject to satisfactory proposals for additional studies to monitor effects on earthworms and resolution of their concerns about efficacy labelling.

3.11.2 - PSD reported that the companyÕs proposals had been sent to those ACP Members who are also members of the Environmental Panel, requesting their views. Some comments had already been received. The Committee confirmed that they were content for provisional approval to be recommended, with a data requirement to address their concern for earthworms. The Committee agreed that details of the protocol could be finalised by PSD in consultation with those Committee Members with relevant expertise.