Good Management Practice: Neonicotinoids
The Vegetable Research & Innovation Board (VR&I) and the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) have commissioned a review of neonicotinoids to guide the development of Good Management Practices for New Zealand growers using neonicotinoids, while minimising the impact on the environment. The impacts of neonicotinoid use in horticulture has led to public concerns around the use of these agrichemicals in crops and as seed treatments. Public concerns focus particularly on impacts on the environment, the effect on the health of bees and colony collapse, and a decline in insect numbers in many countries, as well as human health and food safety issues. Agrichemical products in this group include clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam; and acetamiprid and thiacloprid which are less-widely used in New Zealand.
The key practices for neonicotinoid use have been highlighted in a brochure “General Principles for Good Management Practices: Neonicotinoids” developed specifically for New Zealand growers. In addition to implementing GMP, a key to ensuring best practice is communication and collaboration between growers and beekeepers, keeping each other informed of their activities throughout the seasons.
