FLUORIDE ACTION NETWORK PESTICIDE PROJECT

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TFM
(3-Trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol) - Lampricide, Piscicide - CAS No.
88-30-2

Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Program Requirements and Cost Estimates for Fiscal Year 2002. Submitted to the governments of Canada and the United States.

The GLFC's primary lampricide is TFM (3 trifluoromethyl-4- nitrophenol). Prices for TFM more than tripled from 1986 to 1998 ($8.39/lb active ingredient to $30.00/lb; Figure 4). Since 1998, with full participation of multiple suppliers, this dramatic increase in costs has stopped. The GLFC is the world's only buyer of TFM and, until recently, was totally dependent on its supplier in Europe, Hoechst Chemical of Germany and its subsidiaries. The GLFC initiated major worldwide searches in 1989 and 1990 for other potential manufacturers. Kinetic Industries Ltd., an American manufacturer, began investigating production of TFM in 1986 and now has product approval and registration for use for sea lamprey control in both Canada and the United States. The GLFC took delivery of evaluation orders of 20,000 pounds from this new supplier in each of 1994 and 1995. There was sufficient improvement in the quality of the 1995 product, over that of 1994, that the GLFC ordered a further 45,000 pounds each for FY 1996, FY 1997, and FY 1998. Kinetics Industries Ltd. now produces TFM of outstanding quality.

AgrEvo, a subsidiary of Hoescht, announced in 1996 that it would no longer be manufacturing TFM. At that time, the GLFC increased its order from AgrEvo by $2.1 million to maintain its TFM inventory. However, the GLFC assumed $1.9 million in debt to cover the costs of the additional purchase. The GLFC has aggressively paid down this debt and expects to eliminate the debt in FY 2000. The GLFC has since contracted with Clariant Fine Chemicals (a United States based subsidiary of Hoescht) to manufacture TFM, beginning in FY 1999.

In 1993, the GLFC adopted a policy of purchasing annually an amount of TFM equal to the average annual use (120,000 lbs. during 1985-89),ensuring a 1-year supply in inventory by April 15 of every year. Adequate inventory is essential to guard against disruptions in supply because lampricide remains the primary tool in protecting the Great Lakes ecosystem from sea lamprey predation. The average use of TFM during 1990-1994 had dropped to 95,000 lbs. As noted earlier, this 17% reduction in annual TFM use was achieved through refinement of application rates and procedures, use of barriers, and improved assessment technologies that have resulted in refined stream selection. Therefore, in December 1994, the GLFC reduced its inventory policy target from 120,000 lbs. to a minimum of 100,000 lbs on hand by April 15 of each year to ensure a stable control program. The average annual use of TFM has continued to decline and during 1992-1997 was about 80,000 lbs. Based on this continuing success, the GLFC has adopted 80,000 lbs. as its inventory target for this FY 2001 proposal.

The base-regular program cost of chemical purchases in FY 2001 also includes other lampricide products (TFM bars and Bayluscide liquid, powder, and granular) used in control and assessment programs (total cost = $315,500). A similar approach of purchasing a 1-year inventory has been adopted for each of these lampricide formulations. The proposed purchase includes 1,000 TFM bars (cost = $47,500). TFM bars are a time-release solid form of TFM that is used to treat very small tributaries to streams. Liquid Bayluscide is a used as an additive which reduces the amount of TFM required in streams of particular water chemistry. The liquid is a new formulation of Bayluscide that is more efficient to use than the powder formulation that has been used historically in the program. During FY 2001, purchase of 2,000 lbs (cost = $92,000) is proposed. The granular formulation of Bayluscide is used for treatment in lentic (in-lake) waters and for assessment of larvae in deep waters. The base program requires purchase of a 1-year supply of 16,000 lbs for larval assessment application.

In summary, lampricide purchases included in the base program for FY 2001 includes the purchase of 80,000 lbs. of TFM at $30/lb ($2,400,000). This is the minimum purchase level possible to provide the lampricide required for treatments projected for FY 2001, and maintain the long-term target inventory level through the year 2001. With the purchase of the additional required lampricides (TFM bars and Bayluscide formulations, $315,500) , the total lampricide purchase costs are estimated to be $2,715,500). The total expected costs for the TFM treatment program are $5,938,500, including $3,223,00 for treatment operations and $2,715,500 for chemical purchases.

Ref: July 14, 1999. Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Program Requirements and Cost Estimates for Fiscal Year 2001. Submitted to the governments of Canada and the United States. http://www.glfc.org/staff/PRCE_01.pdf

In summary, lampricide purchases included in the base program for FY 2002 includes the purchase of 75,000 lbs. of TFM at $31/lb ($2,325,000). This is the minimum purchase level to provide the lampricide required for treatments projected for FY 2002, and maintain the long-term target inventory level through the year 2002. With the purchase of the additional required lampricides (TFM bars and Bayluscide formulations, $337,000), the total lampricide purchase costs are estimated to be $2,662,000 - $2,662,000 for lampricide treatments and $192,000 for assessment surveys). The total expected costs for the lampricide treatment program are $5,838,000, including $3,368,000 for treatment operations and $2,662,000 for chemical purchases.

Total Chemical Purchase
Full Program FY 2002 = 2,955,000
Base
- TFM purchase Ð 75,000 lbs @ $31 = $2,325,000
- TFM bars - 1,000 @ $49 = 49,000
- Bayluscide granular (including reqÕd powder) 16,000 lbs for larval assessment) @ $12 = 192,000
- Bayluscide liquid - 2,000 lbs @ $48 = 96,000 á
Initiatives above Base
- Increases Bayluscide granular purchase for lentic treatment Ð (11,500 lbs @ $12) = 138,000
- Increases TFM purchase for increased stream treatments Ð (5,000 lbs @ $31) = 155,000
Ref: June 22, 2000. Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Program Requirements and Cost Estimates for Fiscal Year 2002. Submitted to the governments of Canada and the United States. http://www.glfc.org/staff/PRCE_02.pdf