EPA clears new tool for beet crops

A new herbicide has been approved for use in beet crops grown for livestock feed, giving farmers another option for controlling problem broadleaved weeds, like velvetleaf.

The Environmental Protection Authority has approved Trifix Herbicide for use in NZ after assessing an application from FMC NZ to import or manufacture the product.

Trifix is a water dispersible granule containing the active ingredient triflusu lfuron methyl at 500 g per kg.

The chemical has not previously been used here and is new to the NZ market.

The application for its approval was first lodged with the EPA in February 2021, meaning it has taken more than five years to be decided upon.

FMC says Trifix will improve control of velvetleaf in beet crops, helping lift feed yields per hectare and improve overall crop quality.

The company says this will deliver both economic and operational benefits for farmers and the wider primary sector.

Environmental Protection Authority hazardous substances applications manager Dr Lauren Fleury says the decision followed a thorough assessment and consultation process.

The approval was made after people were given the opportunity to provide information and have their say, she says.

The authority received 12 submissions on Trifix.

Supporters included Farmlands, Agricom, Luisetti Seeds, Turnball Grain and Seed, PGG Wrightson, North Otago Pastoral, Cates Grain and Seed and Advance Agriculture.

Apiculture NZ raised concerns about the effect of the active ingredient on bees and hives; Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility opposed the application outright, and Ngai Tahu wanted application controls tightened so that a buffer zone of 30 metres applied to areas of native plants, and the product could not be used around standing water.

Because the chemical has never before been used in NZ, Lauren Fleury says the authority carried out a rigorous assessment, including analysis of risks and benefits and the product’s potential effects on human health and the environment.

This process helps ensure New Zealanders and the environment remain protected, she says.

Trifix can only be applied by professionals in commercial settings and must be used with ground-based application methods, Fleury says.

Triflusulfuron methyl is already approved for use in Canada and the United States.

Before it can be used on farm, Trifix must also receive approval from the Ministry for Primary Industries as an agricultural compound.

“The EPA is committed to increasing the number of new and novel hazardous substances available, particularly for agriculture and horticulture,” Fleury says.

"We understand the importance of these types of new substances and that their availability is highly desirable. We continue to work hard to provide timely access to new products."