Draza slug pellets are to be withdrawn from the market. Last December, the EU Commission took the decision to impose restrictions on the use of methiocarb, the active ingredient in Draza.

They voted to withdraw the molluscicide use by banning the sale of methiocarb-based slug pellets. However, the use of methiocarb as a seed dressing will continue.

The actual date for withdrawal will be made public after the decision is published in the official EU journal. This is likely to be sometime in the first half of 2014. This will instruct member states to withdraw approval six months after publication.

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Then there is a further six months to sell out the product in trade, followed by 12 months to use up stocks at farm level.

For example, if published on 1 April 2014, approval would cease on 1 October and sales would have to cease on 1 April 2015. In this scenario the last date for use on farm would be 1 April 2016.

Commenting on the decision, Paschal Hennessy from Bayer CropScience said: “Bayer has lobbied against this action on the basis that in nearly 50 years of use there has been no evidence that methiocarb slug pellets have had any adverse effects on the bird or small mammal populations.

“However, the company was not successful in persuading member states of this fact, but most of these have little or no requirement for slug control.”

Paschal went on to say: “Methiocarb received Annex 1 approval in 2007, but the approval process required further submission regarding risks to birds from methiocarb slug baits.

“This information was then reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority and the report passed to the Commission. Initially it recommended reducing the dose rate and number of applications for molluscicides containing methiocarb.

“However, the majority of member states would only support its use as a seed dressing. The decision will have significant implications for Irish farmers, especially potato producers,” he added.