Nordzucker Post 01/2021 - 28 January 2021
Derogation rule for Cruiser 600 FS-treated beet seed in Germany
Infection by the virus yellow transmitted by aphids has led to a massive spread of yellowing disease in sugar beet in some beet-growing regions in the 2020 cultivation year, in some cases with considerable yield losses of up to 30 per cent. As no comparably effective plant protection products are available, the Federal Agency of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) has granted a derogation rule for beet seed treated with the seed dressing Cruiser for cultivation in 2021 on a limited scale for Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, among others. Cruiser contains the neonicotinoid active ingredient Thiamethoxam.
The approval only covers the regions in which the plant protection services of the federal states recorded an increased proportion of areas with the viral yellowing in 2020. In Niedersachsen, this concerns about 35,000 hectares, about one third of the sugar beet cultivation area, which are located in the chamber districts of Uelzen, Braunschweig and Northeim. In Schleswig-Holstein, the approval applies to 1,500 hectares in the district of Dithmarschen. No derogation was granted for the federal states of Sachsen-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The sowing of seeds treated in this way is only permitted in defined districts and only under certain conditions. The conditions include, among others, that no flowering (intermediate) fruits may be present on the respective sowing area in the same year and in the following year. It is also not permitted to sow treated seed in the outermost row of the field to be cultivated. The regulations of the plant protection authorities and the advisory notes of the Nordzucker cultivation advisory service must be observed.
In total, in Germany, derogations for 126,900 hectares have been applied for by the individual federal states and granted by the BVL.
| Federal State | area in hectar |
|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | 12.000 |
| Bayern | 20.600 |
| Hessen | 5.400 |
| Niedersachsen | 34.700 |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | 40.000 |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | 12.700 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1.500 |
| total: | 126.900 |
Throughout the EU in addition to Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the former EU member state Great Britain have also received a derogation.
