| Potatoes
First potato storage season for
new lower CIPC rates
An agreement with ‘Step Down’ processes, new lower application rates for
CIPC use for the coming season (2017-18) have now been approved.
ike Storey, AHDB’s
Head of Resource
Management and
Chair of the
Industry CIPC
Stewardship
Group, said: “As part of the CIPC
Stewardship process, requests are
made by companies that hold
approvals to formulate new rates,
which helps ensure compliance
with the Maximum Residue Level
(MRL of 10 mg/kg.”
For the 2017-18 season, the
new statutory limits for total dose,
approved by Chemicals
Regulation Directorate (CRD) are
36 grams/tonne for processing
(including fish & chip shop
supplies and peeling) and 24 g/t
for the fresh market. The maximum
individual dose is reduced to
12g/tonne. The latest time of
application is 14 days before
removal from store for sale or
processing and is a statutory
requirement.
Additionally, Stewardship best
practice, endorsed by the NAAC’s
CIPC Applicator Group and Red
Tractor Farm Assurance, continues
to allow just one application of up
to 12 g/t in cold stores as CIPC
M
residue declines more slowly at
low temperature. This applies to
all stores that will be held below
5°C. This application should be
made early in storage during pull-
down, before the temperature is
decreased below 7°C, for
maximum efficacy.
No fan, no fog
Critically for 2017, fans will be
required, with CIPC needing to be
actively recirculated at low speed
during the application process,
and until the fog has cleared. CIPC
applications will not be made if fog
is not able to be recirculated. This
is for residue control purposes as
well as efficacy at the lower dose
rates.
In stores with positive ventilation
(bulk stores and some box stores),
active recirculation will mostly be
achieved by fitting a Variable
Frequency Drive (VFD) and using
the store’s ventilations system. In
overhead throw box stores active
recirculation can be brought about
using an air separator to create an
‘open suction’ system or plenums.
Different approaches are detailed
in the PICSG’s CIPC Application: A
Store Owner’s Guide, which is
available at
24 | Farming Monthly | September 2017
http://www.cipccompliant.co.uk/
uploads/fileman/cipcapplicationgui
de.pdf
It is recommended that users
consult their NAAC CIPC
Applicator to discuss this
requirement now to ensure that, if
steps have not yet been taken to
modify stores, applications can still
be made this season.
Finally, it is important to note
any food, feed or seed, other than
ware potatoes, should not be held
in stores, which have been treated
with CIPC. This is because CIPC
penetrates the store fabric and is
then re-released risking damaging
seed and contaminating food and
feed. The Maximum Residue Level
for CIPC in anything other than
potatoes is the limit of detection
(around 0.01mg/kg).
More information is available in
the Store Assessment of the Red
Tractor Combinable Crops
protocol at
http://assurance.redtractor.org.uk/
contentfiles/Farmers-5611.pdf
For further information, see the
PICSG ‘Be CIPC Compliant’
website -
www.cipccompliant.co.uk
Summary of Stewardship best practice for CIPC use in 2017/18:
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk