U.S. EPA moves to end use of Bayer, Nichino insecticides (updated)

Nihon Nohyaku

01/03/2016 21:16

(Adds Bayer comment, background, byline; changes dateline, 
previous WASHINGTON) 
    By Karl Plume 
    CHICAGO, March 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency said on Tuesday it was moving to halt the sale 
of insecticides from German chemicals company Bayer and Nichino 
America containing an active ingredient called flubendiamide 
found to pose risks to the environment. 
    Bayer CropScience  BAYE.NS , the agricultural arm of Bayer 
AG  BAYGn.DE , had anticipated the action after rejecting the 
EPA's request to voluntarily pull the insecticide from the 
marketplace last month.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N15K1T0 
    The company said it expects to request an administrative law 
hearing from the EPA's Office of General Counsel within the next 
30 days to dispute the EPA's conclusion that the pesticide is 
unsafe. 
    U.S. pesticide regulation law requires a final ruling by the 
administrative law judge within 75 days of receiving the hearing 
request. The insecticide can remain on the market throughout the 
process. 
    Flubendiamide is the active ingredient in Bayer's Belt and 
Nichino's Tourismo and Vetica insecticides. It is registered for 
use on over 200 crops, including soybeans, almonds, tobacco, 
peanuts, cotton, lettuce, alfalfa, tomatoes, watermelon, and 
bell peppers, with some crops having as many as six applications 
per year, according to the EPA. 
    The EPA issued the notice after it concluded that continued 
use of the chemical could harm organisms such as mayflies and 
water fleas that are important food sources for fish in streams, 
ponds and lakes adjacent to agricultural fields. Bayer disputes 
the findings, citing years of field studies that showed that 
doses have never reached high enough levels to be toxic. 
    The EPA issued a conditional registration for the chemical 
in 2008. Terms of the registration allowed the EPA to request 
its cancellation if new data uncovered environmental risks. 
    Nichino America, which had no comment on the EPA move, is a 
unit of Japan's Nihon Nohyaku Co Ltd  4997.T . 
       
 
 (Additional reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by 
Susan Heavey and Tom Brown) 
 ((karl.plume@thomsonreuters.com; +1 312 408 8704; Reuters 
Messaging: karl.plume.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: USA EPA/BAYER