Gov’t bans use of products containing restricted pesticide

The Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) has temporarily banned the use of products containing chlorpyrifos, a restricted pesticide that is often used to treat fresh mangoes exported to Japan.

Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban, concurrent chairman of the FPA board, signed FPA Board Resolution 02 which suspended the use and registration of all products that has chlorpyrifos as an ingredient in treating fruit pests such as mango hoppers.

Some of the brands affected by the ban are Nurelle D, Tandem EC and Rador 262.5-EC, Predator Plus EC, Bombard 275EC, Blink, Siga, Fradon, Perfect, Predator and Propan.

Mango growers use this pesticide in the fruiting stage to prevent insect infestation that could damage the crop.

The ban will apply to all mango farms, except large-scale, plantation type or commercial farms whose produce is intended exclusively for the export market.

At the same time, FPA will withdraw all chlorpyrifos-containing products from dealers, distributors and non-institutional or non-plantation type growers that do not follow prescribed good agricultural practices or GAP, and those that do not have a monitoring system in place.

Panganiban said the ban is intended to preserve the gains of the local mango industry which recently which was allowed to resume deliveries to its biggest market – Japan.

Japan tightened the noose on fresh mangoes from the Philippines starting in 2004 when batches of mangoes were found to contain chlorpyrifos residue that exceeded the acceptable new Japanese maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.05 parts per million (ppm).

Local mango farmers, particularly those in contract-growing arrangements with the plantation-type farms, were consistently remiss in following prescribed GAP by the FPA and the Bureau of Plant Industry which among others, directed growers to spray chlorpyrifos-containing products against mango hoppers at least 50 days from harvest so that the residue if still present, will be within the prescribed MRL.

Philippine Agriculture attaché to Japan, Joseph Sison noted previously that Japan’s health authorities are bent on imposing new and tougher food safety standards, particularly Japan’s Food Safety Commission (FSC) which sets new MRLs for imported fresh agricultural produce.

"Philippine mango producers should take this matter seriously or they could face an outright ban of their products, in the same manner that the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry (MAFF) banned mangoes exceeding the MRL set for the pesticide chlorypyrifos," said Sison.

An initial positive list of MRLs for more than 700 compounds prepared by the FSC and Japan’s Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare will be revealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by 2006.

Currently Japan follows Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) international residue standards if it does not have a MRL established for a particular chemical. If CAC does not specify a residue limit on a chemical, Japan usually defers to US standards.

Chlorpyrifos is a restricted pesticide which is also used as a termicide. Its improper use is known to cause cholinesterase inhibition in humans. It can overstimulate the nervous system causing nausea, dizziness, confusion, and at high exposures, respiratory paralysis, and death.

Earlier, Japan has eased its inspection procedures for Philippine mango as the country’s major exporters complied with the MRL for chlorpyrifos.

The BPI came up with a pesticide residue management manual to check and monitor pesticide residue on mango fruit export and ensure compliance with the prescribed MRL.

Aside from tips on preventing high pesticide residue, the manual contains information needed to trace the flow of mango from the farm down to the exporter.

The exporter and farm owner implement the program activities stated in the manual while the BPI monitors its implementation.

With mango exporters complying with the prescribed MRL, Japan waived the 100-percent inspection requirement for mango products from the Philippines.

Along with the MRL compliance by mango exporters, Japan has reverted to the standard investigation procedures on the condition that each shipment should be accompanied by a certificate of inspection and analysis from the government and only the registered exporter can ship their exports to Japan.