Summary of responses and government response
Updated 4 January 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-information-on-substances-proposed-as-persistent-organic-pollutants-pops-2023/summary-of-responses-and-government-response
Executive summary
Defra held a call for information for one substance, chlorpyrifos, being proposed for listing as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) on the UN Stockholm Convention. POPs proposals are reviewed by the Convention’s POPs Review Committee (POPRC), and POPRC had requested additional information about chlorpyrifos to feed into the draft Risk Management Evaluation document.
The call for information was held to collect information on any social and economic impacts of a ban or restriction of chlorpyrifos, to be used to assist with drafting the Risk Management Evaluation (RME) for chlorpyrifos (Annex F of the Stockholm Convention). This information will inform the need for specific exemptions and acceptable uses of chlorpyrifos.
Number of responses
We received one response from Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Summary of responses
DAERA provided information on the authorisation of chlorpyrifos before it had been withdrawn from use as an active substance in all plant protection products in the EU in 2020.
DAERA also provided information on the impacts of the withdrawal of chlorpyrifos in Northern Ireland at the time.
Finally, DAERA provided information that suggested the amount of chlorpyrifos left in the supply chain across the UK is likely to be minimal.
Government response
Information received in this call were incorporated into the UK’s submission of information to the Stockholm Convention’s POPRC.
The Stockholm Convention website includes more information about POPRC’s calls for information.
Full response
From Department of Agriculture Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Chlorpyrifos has been withdrawn from use as an active substance in all plant protection products in the EU since 2020. All remaining authorised uses were subsequently withdrawn with authorisation expiry date of 16 April 2020 for the disposal, storage and use of existing stocks.
However authorised use of chlorpyrifos in the UK had already been restricted in 2017 to indoor, automated gantry applications, on broccoli and calabrese, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower along with a Minor Use Authorisation (EAMU) on choi sum following the adoption of new toxicological reference values in the EU.
Use to control leather jackets in or on managed amenity turf and amenity grassland had been withdrawn in the UK even earlier with an expiry date of 31 August 2015.
Our Northern Ireland Pesticide Usage records confirm that chlorpyrifos was widely used as an insecticide on fodder crops and grassland, top and soft fruit and on protected brassicas up until its withdrawal of each respective use. At the time it was anticipated that withdrawal of chlorpyrifos was likely to impact on Northern Ireland agriculture and horticulture owing to the limited alternative approved insecticide substances in most sectors, but specifically Grassland, Arable, Top and Soft Fruit.
Likewise, the loss of chlorpyrifos to the amenity grassland sector resulted in the granting of Emergency Use Authorisations for three consecutive years for an alternative PPP ‘Acelepryn’ containing the active substance chlorantraniliprole to control chafer bugs and leather jackets for use on golf courses, horse gallops and racecourses, and airfields, for a limited period due to the risk of damage to playing surfaces and risk of birds strike. Acelepryn has since been given full authorisation for use on golf roughs, and airfields.
In 2020 HSE obtained supply chain information from the former authorisation holder confirming that they had not supplied any of chlorpyrifos products to the market since July to September 2018 and so the amount left in the supply chain across the UK was likely to be minimal.