CIPC Stewardship gains recognition
The potato industry has received recognition for the work of the CIPC (chlorpropham) Stewardship Group, as winners of ’Best Stewardship programme’ category at this year’s Agrow Awards.
On winning the award for the group’s campaign – responding to regulatory concerns about residues of the potato sprout suppressant in stored crops – the group’s chairman and Potato Council’s head of R&D, Dr Mike Storey, commented that winning was only possible because of the commitment of all Stewardship Group colleagues.
"It shows we must be doing something right, but we need to keep on going with the efforts and impetus for the stewardship campaign as this year’s storage season develops," he added.
Stewardship Group members Certis agree. "We are keen to emphasise the importance of using CIPC in a manner consistent with best practice," comments Certis’ technical manager Dr Tudor Dawkins who was part of the first group to go through the new BASIS stored potatoes qualification.
"The end of this year’s harvest saw crops being brought into store in wet conditions and with a lot of soil present, presenting sprouting risks" notes Tudor, "but storage, not exceeding CIPC limits is still possible."
The Maximum Residue Level is 10mg/kg, with maximum application rates set at 36g ai/tonne and 63.75g ai/tonne for fresh table top and processing crops respectively.
"Now is the time when growers need to begin inspecting stored crops for signs of sprouting and preparing, where necessary, for a second CIPC application – in particular for stored crops that came in under less than ideal conditions. Vigilance is also needed, keeping an eye on store integrity, following the cold snap of late.
"Dose rates should reflect the conditions of the potatoes in the store and the proposed storage period. Formulations, such as the GroStop (CIPC) range, use low application rates and have been proven to deliver low residues, a step that helps in adhering to the stewardship principles and ensuring residues are kept below the limits," he notes. Growers can also visit www.potato.org.uk/cipc for more information on CIPC best practice.
Other groups nominated for this year’s award included a short list comprising of Syngenta for spreading good agricultural practice for 290,000 small scale farmers in South America, the Caribbean and Andes; Du Pont’s worldwide Respect programme for agrochemical distributors to promote environmental responsibility; Dow’s EU Telone stewardship package; a Brazilian pesticide container management and reclamation system and the Insecticide Resistance Management Committee (IRAC) with 15 global agrochemical companies, managing pesticide resistance.