Contact: Donna Gilson, 608-224-5130, donna.gilson@wi.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, jim.dick@wi.gov
MADISON – The public can comment through March 31 on a special pesticide registration that would allow corn growers to treat seed with a non-lethal repellant to stop sandhill crane feeding.
The special registration proposed by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will allow corn growers to use Avipel® Liquid Seed Treatment and Avipel® Hopper Box (dry) Corn Seed Treatment on seed corn. Both contain the active ingredient 9,10-anthraquinone.
Sandhill cranes dig in the soil to find seed corn, and can cause large crop losses. Once cranes eat seed corn treated with the pesticide, it repels them from eating any more.
The preliminary environmental assessment indicates that the proposed registration will not require a full environmental impact statement. This special pesticide registration will expire July 1, 2015.
For a copy of the assessment or to email comments, contact Matt Sunseri, matthew.sunseri@wi.gov, 608-224-4547. It is also available for review 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays the department, 2811 Agriculture Drive, Madison, WI 53704. Written comments may also be mailed to that address. Written comments received by Friday, March 29, and email comments received by Sunday, March 31, will become part of the preliminary environment assessment record.
Although neither product is currently registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Avipel® has been used previously under EPA emergency exemptions. The special registration process is an alternative that allows states to register pesticide products for special local needs, without prior EPA approval.
