Brussels, 30/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - Unless the use of dimethoate is banned across the EU, French farmers will suffer from the ban on this insecticide in France, which has been successfully used to tackle the Drosophila Suzukii fly that damages fruit and vegetables, but is potentially dangerous to consumers, says French farm minister and government spokesman Stephane Le Foll.
He therefore took a decision on Tuesday 29 March to lodge an emergency request that the European Commission issue an immediate ban on the use of this blanket organophosphorus insecticide which kills flies and most Diptera, and for which the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has left member states to assess the dangers on a case-by-case basis.
'No' to unfair competition. Fearing an uneven playing field for the French arboricultural industry, particularly cherry growers, the minister also called for an immediate ban on marketing cherries anywhere in the EU from countries or member states which allow the use of dimethoate.
Under the emergency procedure, the European Commission has a week to respond. If the Commission were to fail to respond within the deadline, then the French minister announced in a press release that France would launch a national safeguard mechanism to ban the sale in France of cherries treated with dimethoate, whether growth in France or anywhere else in the world.
In 2013, EFSA identified a potential risk in the consumption of food treated with dimethoate, leaving it to the member states to decide on the degree of risk to consumers on a case-by-case basis according to the product and also on a use-by-use basis.
Possible French safeguard measure. In France, the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (ANSES) concluded at the end of 2015 that the dimethoate-based product DIMATE BF400 needed to be withdrawn, unless the company holding the authorisation could provide proof to eliminate any danger of toxicity. The company failed to supply information for fruit across the EU and ANSES withdrew its authorisation to market the product in February 2016.
Le Foll's press release explains that the battle against the Drosophila Suzukii fly was a major issue for the arboricultural industry as the insect's larva destroy fruit and cause considerable losses in production. He says that the use of DIMATE BF 400 in the month of April has thus far been one of the ways of dealing with the pest. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)