Proceedings of International Conference on Alternatives to Methyl Bromide
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PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVES TO METHYL BROMIDE LISBON, PORTUGAL, 27-30 SEPTEMBER 2004 1 Title: Proceedings of International Conference on Alternatives to Methyl Bromide Editors: Tom Batchelor and Flávia Alfarroba ISBN: Printed: European Commission, Brussels, Belgium 2 PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ALTERNATIVES TO METHYL BROMIDE Editors Tom Batchelor and Flávia Alfarroba 3 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The organisers are very grateful for the hard work and support from the following people, organisations and commercial enterprises: CONFERENCE ORGANISATION Steering Committee: Mr João Gonçalves (Ministry of Environment); Mme Flávia Alfarroba (Ministry of Agriculture); Mr Ricardo Gomes (Ministry of Agriculture); Prof Manuel Belo Moreira (Technical University of Lisbon); Antonieta Castro (Ministry of Environment); Dr Tom Batchelor (European Commission) Scientific Committee: Dr Tom Batchelor (European Commission); Prof Silva Fernandes (Technical University of Lisbon); Dr Antonio Lavadinho (Ministry of Agriculture) Logistics: Prof Manuel Belo Moreira (Technical University of Lisbon); Mme Antonieta Castro (Ministry of Environment); Mr Luis Morbey (Ministry of Environment); Dr Vidal Abreu (Ministry of Agriculture); Mme Joaquina Fonseca (Ministry of Agriculture) Alternatives Fair: Mr Ricardo Gomes, Mr Joao Sousa Alves, Mr Jorge Moreira (Ministry of Agriculture); Dr Melanie Miller (Consultant); Prof Manuel Belo Moreira (Technical University of Lisbon) MAJOR SPONSORS Instituto do Ambiente (IA, Ministry of Environment), Direcção-Geral de Protecção das Culturas (DGPC, Ministry of Agriculture), Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ADISA, Technical University of Lisbon / Faculty of Agronomy), and the European Commission. We are grateful to Dow AgroSciences for a financial contribution towards the cost of travel that allowed some technical experts to attend this conference. 5 6 IN MEMORIAM Dr Franco Lamberti died suddenly in his home on 16 August 2004 at the age of 67. He was a highly-regarded nematologist with worldwide experience in taxonomy and crop protection. He collected specimens of nematodes in many countries and prepared excellent keys for their identification. Dr Lamberti pionereed research and studies on plant nematology in Italy and established the first Italian Plant Nematology Institute, supported by the Italian National Council of Research (CNR), at Bari, Italy in the early 1970s. His managerial skills were unmatched, as testified by the large number of meetings that he promoted or organised, including workshops and congresses on various aspects of plant nematology. Dr Lamberti was author of 662 publications including many on alternatives to methyl bromide, covering all the range of nematological research, starting from 1963. He was a fellow of the Society of Nematologists, a founder of the Italian Society of Nematology and was awarded recently the Distinguished Service Award and Special Award of the Organization of the Nematologists of Tropical America. His expertise and friendship will be missed by all the nematological community. Dr Lamberti is survived by his wife Teresa, daughter Carlotta, son Lamberto, and grandchildren, who receive our condolences. 7 8 FOREWORD Portugal was pleased to have hosted the “Fifth International Conference on Alternatives to Methyl Bromide”. Previous European conferences that were held in Tenerife (1997), Rome (1998), Heraklion (1999) and Sevilla1 (2002) made important contributions towards Europe’s endeavour to phase out methyl bromide, an ozone depleting pesticide. Once in widespread use, a range of alternatives have now largely replaced methyl bromide leaving only ‘critical uses’ and quarantine and pre-shipment’ uses permitted from 1 January 2005. Agriculture is a very important sector in many countries and especially to those in Europe. Many agricultural producers and food processors are aware of consumer demand for pesticide-free products, and have made efforts to reduce and eliminate pesticides in the food chain and the environment, wherever possible. The phase-out result is beneficial for our long term health and the future health of life on this planet. It is within this context that methyl bromide users in Europe are striving to replace methyl bromide with sustainable alternatives as soon as possible. The Conference in Lisbon brought together farmers, food processors, researchers, extension workers and industry that have a vested interest in the successful replacement of methyl bromide with viable alternatives. The Conference obtained the best information available on alternatives that are both under development and those already implemented worldwide. In particular, the conference focused on the identification of alternatives for critical uses. Critical uses are those uses of methyl bromide for which alternatives have yet to be developed, based on strict criteria established by the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and, additionally for Europe, Europe-wide and Member State regulations. The European Community is one of eight Parties that have requested critical uses. The papers presented in this conference by 55 pest and disease control experts from 10 Member States and 7 countries show that a range of alternatives to methyl bromide have been developed recently and, when implemented, could reduce or even eliminate the need for critical uses. Topics on alternatives to methyl bromide covered in the conference included: Keynote papers that summarised the procedures for critical use exemptions (CUEs) for methyl bromide submitted to, and evaluated by, the Montreal Protocol’s technical experts, and the results of their work; the procedures for licensing methyl bromide for CUEs; The impact of European legislation on pesticides including methyl bromide and its alternatives; an update on methyl bromide and ozone depletion; agriculture certification standards; industry-government partnerships for rapid registration of alternatives; technology transfer; and the importance of leadership in eliminating methyl bromide; Overview papers that examined the development and implementation of alternatives in tomato and strawberry crops where most of the methyl bromide is consumed; Scientific and commercial papers that showed the new products under development and the state of play for alternatives that have been on the market for a range of crops for some time. These papers were grouped into sessions on Strawberry production; Cut-flowers and ornamentals; Improved application methods; Quarantine and pre-shipment; Tomato, pepper and other vegetables; Structures, commodities and artifacts; and International standards, technology transfer and adoption of alternatives. Alternatives Fair where companies were invited to display and demonstrate products and equipment on methyl bromide alternatives; Alternatives in use that consisted of summary presented by the co-chairs of each of the sessions; Posters were displayed that supported the presentations made by experts. 1 Go to Sevilla Conference Proceedings for papers 9 The Conference was an opportunity for all those involved in developing, implementing and using alternatives to examine the potential for replacing existing MB use, and future methyl bromide CUEs, with alternatives. This conference showed in many papers and speeches that, based on experience with using the alternatives, the alternatives are as cost-effective as methyl bromide, some less expensive. Innovative technology is now being used to deploy alternatives more effectively in the past in the same way that methyl bromide operations were optimized over the past 40 years of its use. Integrated pest management has always been important, but techniques that rely on this are now becoming more prevalent for replacing methyl bromide with sustainable alternatives. The spirit to find alternatives is alive and well – they need to be taken up as soon as possible ! Tom Batchelor Flávia Alfarroba Ozone Layer Protection Ministry of Agriculture European Commission Direcção-Geral de Protecção das Culturas 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF REPORTS OF THE MEETINGS OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON EXEMPTIONS FOR THE CRITICAL USES OF METHYL BROMIDE FOR 2005 AND 2006, M.F. HILDEBRAND...........................................................................................................................15 THE IMPACT OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL AND EUROPEAN UNION CONTROLS ON METHYL BROMIDE, T.A. BATCHELOR ...................................................................................................21 UPDATE ON THE REVIEW OF PESTICIDES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IMPLICATIONS FOR METHYL BROMIDE AND CHEMICAL ALTERNATIVES, L. SMEETS ............................................27 STRAWBERRY FRUIT PRODUCTION: SUMMARIES OF ALTERNATIVES TO METHYL BROMIDE FUMIGATION AND TRIALS IN DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS, I. PORTER, S. MATTNER, R. GOUNDER, R. MANN, J. BANKS AND P. FRASER ............................................................................29 MAIN RESULTS OF TRIALS ON METHYL BROMIDE ALTERNATIVES FOR STRAWBERRY FRUIT AND RUNNERS PRODUCED IN SPAIN, J.M. LOPEZ-ARANDA, L. MIRANDA, F. ROMERO, B. DE LOS SANTOS, C. SORIA, J.J. MEDINA, F. MONTES, J.M. VEGA, J.I. PAEZ, J. BASCON, A. MARTINEZ-TRECEÑO, D. GARCIA-SINOVAS, E. GARCIA-MENDEZ, M. BECERRIL, A. DE CAL, T. SALTO, M.L. MARTINEZ-BERINGOLA, AND P. MELGAREJO ..............................................................35 SUBSTRATES AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO METHYL BROMIDE FOR STRAWBERRY FRUIT PRODUCTION