WESTERN PRODUCER — Syngenta is making lambda-cyhalothrin insecticides available for pulse and horticulture growers in Western Canada.
But its lambda-cy products, branded as Matador and Voliam Xpress, cannot be used to control flea beetles on canola or applied to other crops.
Syngenta is not permitting use on crops that could become livestock feed.
“We want to ensure we are supporting as many growers as possible during the upcoming growing season in protecting their crops from forecasted pest pressure while being compliant with the label’s feed restrictions,” said Duane Johnson head of sales for Syngenta Canada in an April 21 news release.
“Based on available market statistics and discussions with industry associations, the majority of horticulture and pulse crops are used for human consumption.”
The Syngenta products can also be applied to horticultural crops in Eastern Canada.
The Syngenta announcement is in response to a Pest Management Regulatory Agency decision from April 2021.
At the time, a PMRA re-evaluation decision said it’s safe to apply lambda-cy on many crops if certain risk mitigation steps are followed but not on lettuce, livestock feed and other uses.
“Health risks were not shown to be acceptable when used according to the current conditions of registration, or when additional mitigation is considered: lettuce, mustard seed (condiment type), all feed uses, bulb vegetables, and all registered commodities from Crop Group 20: Oilseeds (Revised), except for flaxseed, mustard seed (oilseed type), and rapeseed (including canola).”
Companies that manufacture and sell lambda-cyhalothrin products had 24 months to comply with changes to the insecticide’s label.
Canola was excluded from the list of prohibited uses of lambda-cy, but canola is processed into canola meal that is fed to livestock. Plus, most crops in Canada can be downgraded and fed to livestock.
So, Syngenta is adjusting the labels for Matador and Voliam Xpress to comply with the PMRA decision.
“Effective April 29, 2023, crops treated with lambda-cyhalothrin cannot be fed to or grazed by livestock in Canada, including any harvested grain, seed screenings, hay/forage/silage, byproducts, or aftermath,” the Syngenta release says.
The company added that screenings of pulse crops treated with lambda-cyhalothrin cannot be used as feed.
ADAMA Canada also sells insecticides with lambda-cy as the active ingredient.
In March, ADAMA announced that its products, Silencer and Zivata, will be available to Canadian farmers this growing season.
But ADAMA has re-labeled the products and is telling growers to use lambda-cy cautiously.
“The bottom line for growers is to read the labelling guidelines carefully…. Talk to your full-service input retailer and to your crop buyers so you can make an informed decision about if and when to apply the product,” said Cornie Thiessen, general manager of ADAMA Canada.
