Time Running out for Banned Insecticide

Time is running out for farmers, horticulturalists and greenkeepers to get rid of their stocks of Endosulfan, a potent insecticide which has been banned from use in New Zealand.

The Environmental Risk Management Agency, ERMA, prohibited the importation, manufacture and use of Endosulfan over 18 months ago because of its toxicity and the health and environmental threats which outweigh the benefits of its use.

Environment Southland has issued a reminder to anyone with residual stocks of Endosulfan that they only have a short time left to have the chemical collected for safe disposal.

Pollution Prevention Officer Jodi Thompson said that South Island users had three legal ways to get rid of Endosulfan – via the national AgRecovery chemical collection programme, or by contacting either Transpacific or JBL Environmental for collection and disposal. Full funding for disposal of most brands of Endosulfan was available through AgRecovery in a joint venture between the government and chemical companies.  

A chemical collection was recently completed in Southland and there is likely to be one more to cater for the large amounts of different types of chemical still being stored in unsafe conditions around the region.

“It makes sense to use a collection service because no-one can use Endosulfan legally any more, and there is no other safe way to dispose of it except to have it collected by experts with the right equipment and facilities,” Ms Thompson said.

She was unwilling to speculate about the amount of Endosulfan that might remain on Southland farms, orchards, gardens and in groundsmen’s sheds. However, the insecticide was widely used to on a variety of crops including vegetables, berry fruit, citrus and ornamental trees. It has also been used to control earthworms on turf at parks, sports grounds, bowling clubs and even airports.

According to ERMA, Endosulfan is acutely toxic to humans at high levels, and very toxic to stream life. It persists in the environment and can bio-accumulate. Endosulfan was sold in New Zealand under the brand names ENDO 350EC, Thiodan, Thionex Insecticide and Flavvan 350EC.

More information about the chemical is at www.ermanz.govt.nzews-events/focus/endosulfan/index.html while www.agrecovery.co.nz has information about arranging for the safe disposal of chemicals