Feed Potatoes Get Timely Boost

SCOTLAND, UK - NFU Scotland has welcomed the decision by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to lift the ban on feeding crop treated with maleic hydrazide (MH) to livestock.
calendar icon 26 July 2019
clock icon 2 minute read

Scottish growers and livestock farmers have welcomed the lifting of restriction on feeding crops treated with the sprout suppressant maleic hydrazide (MH) to livestock with immediate effect.

The ban, which came into place last November, meant potatoes and other crops treated with MH products, which is used on potatoes for sprout suppression and volunteer control, could no longer be fed to livestock.

Following a review of available data, HSE concluded that feeding treated crops to livestock does not pose safety concerns for consumers, therefore there is no benefit in imposing the livestock feeding restriction on products containing the sprout suppressant maleic hydrazide (MH).

In November 2018, MH was granted approval to be used in the EU for the next 15 years. However, a proviso was added to say that member states should consider a restriction that MH-treated potatoes should not be fed to livestock. To date, the UK had been the only member state to implement this restriction.

NFU Scotland’s Potato Working Group Chairman, Peter Grewar has welcomed the news saying: "The decision is good news for growers and NFU Scotland is glad that common sense has won out in the end.

"With maleic hydrazide being an important active for volunteer control and with the recent ban of CIPC it is even more crucial sprout control as part of an integrated programme.

"NFU Scotland is delighted that HSE has responded to the industry and acknowledged the overwhelming evidence that feeding potatoes treated with maleic hydrazide poses no threat to the consumer’s health or welfare."

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