{"id":476176,"date":"2024-05-02T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=476176"},"modified":"2024-05-02T11:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T09:30:00","slug":"cherry-growers-relieved-but-vulnerable-insect-populations-further-pressured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/cherry-growers-relieved-but-vulnerable-insect-populations-further-pressured\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherry growers relieved, but vulnerable insect populations further pressured"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dutch cherry growers have been granted an additional year\u2019s access to the pesticides Tracer and Exirel to combat the Suzuki fruit fly, a pest affecting soft fruits like cherries. However, these chemicals pose risks to aquatic life and bee populations, which are already under strain. While the fruit sector is pleased with another year of ‘temporary’ use, there are concerns about the application and consequences of these chemicals. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has already indicated in recent research that compliance with the safe application of these chemicals is insufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this is important<\/h2>

The use of pesticides poses a significant risk to the lives of pollinators. These chemicals not only threaten the environment, but also jeopardize crucial pollinators like bees, which are essential for our food security.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A double-edged battle in cherry cultivation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The recent decision to give Dutch cherry growers an extra year of access to the pesticides Tracer and Exirel has brought relief to the sector. These agents are effective in combating the Suzuki fruit fly, an exotic pest that has been a serious threat to fruit cultivation<\/a> in the Netherlands for over a decade. The active ingredient in Tracer, spinosad, is a product of the soil bacterium Saccharopolyspora spinosa and is used, among other things, on fruit trees. Although this chemical is relatively harmless to humans, it is highly toxic to bees, a crucial factor in the pollination of many crops. Exirel, which contains cyantraniliprole, is also effective but, like spinosad, poses environmental risks, particularly to aquatic life and bee populations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compliance with safety regulations falls short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has advised the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality against the exemption of these pesticides due to insufficient compliance<\/a> with their safe application by growers. Despite recognition of the problem posed by the Suzuki fruit fly, NVWA inspections from 2018 to 2023 showed that compliance with safety regulations was inadequate, with compliance scores ranging from 58 to 74%<\/a>. Violations mainly concerned regulations that were supposed to prevent drift of the chemicals to surrounding areas, critical for protecting non-target organisms.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
How drones and AI make short work of toxic pesticides as flying detectives<\/div>
With the naked eye, it is very difficult and labor-intensive to tell if plants are healthy. Drones and AI, on the other hand, are ideally suited for this and can analyze plants down to the millimeter. Unmanned Valley, together with partners, is using drones and smart AI algorithms to identify diseased tulips and hyacinths.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

The vulnerable state of dutch bee populations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The bee population in the Netherlands has been under pressure for years, with more than half of all bee species on the red list. Bees are crucial for the pollination of about 70% of crops<\/a>. The use of spinosad, the active ingredient in Tracer, poses a direct threat to these important pollinators<\/a>. The situation is further complicated by the likelihood that there are already too few insects in the Netherlands to pollinate plants, leading to risks for biodiversity and food security<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water quality and environmental hazards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Netherlands is not only facing a declining bee population but also issues with the quality of surface water. Pesticides such as Tracer and Exirel can end up in surface water if applied improperly, causing harm to aquatic life<\/a>. According to Tracer’s safety data sheet, the chemical is classified as highly toxic<\/a> to the aquatic environment in the short and long term. This raises concerns about water quality in the Netherlands, a country where water management is of great importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternative pest control methods and sustainable solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the use of Tracer and Exirel is still permitted for now, it is important to consider more sustainable pest control methods. Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has investigated various alternatives<\/a>, such as using nets over orchards and a ‘lure and kill’ strategy. These methods can reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and help protect non-target organisms like bees and aquatic animals.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
Cameras, sensors, and drones: this is how PATS is disrupting pest control in greenhouses<\/div>
One of the fans\u2019 most disliked episodes of the famous TV show Breaking Bad sees Walter White and his partner in crime, Jesse Pinkman, trying to catch a fly for the whole chapter. That same feeling of frustration gets us on summer nights; mosquitos and flies often keep us awake. But what happens if a mosquito keeps awake two drone experts?<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Finding a balance between agriculture and ecology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Preserving Dutch cherry cultivation is economically important, but it should not come at the expense of the country’s ecological value<\/a>. The urgency of the situation requires careful consideration of the economic benefits against environmental risks. It is crucial that growers strictly adhere to application regulations for pesticides and that investment is made in developing and implementing sustainable pest control methods that safeguard environmental health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dutch cherry growers have been granted an additional year\u2019s access to the pesticides Tracer and Exirel to combat the Suzuki fruit fly, a pest affecting soft fruits like cherries. However, these chemicals pose risks to aquatic life and bee populations, which are already under strain. While the fruit sector is pleased with another year of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2580,"featured_media":506517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[83907],"tags":[34990,55607,49004,41324,10776,53857],"location":[6763],"article_type":[60595],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[82868],"class_list":["post-476176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bio-en","tag-bees","tag-bestrijdingsmiddelen","tag-chemicals","tag-environment","tag-milieu","tag-pesticides","location-netherlands","article_type-analysis","reboot-archive-bio"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Dutch cherry growers got an extra year of permit to use two pesticides whose use raises concerns about the consequences on wildlife.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Laio","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/laio\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/innovationorigins_a_close_up_on_a_bee_laying_on_a_cherry_on_a_s_9f414d73-559d-46ee-ad96-5a44134a8a2a.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["BIO+<\/a>"],"unlinked":["BIO+<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["bees<\/a>","bestrijdingsmiddelen<\/a>","chemicals<\/a>","environment<\/a>","milieu<\/a>","pesticides<\/a>"],"unlinked":["bees<\/span>","bestrijdingsmiddelen<\/span>","chemicals<\/span>","environment<\/span>","milieu<\/span>","pesticides<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 2, 2024","modified":"Updated on May 2, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 2, 2024 11:30 am","modified":"Updated on May 2, 2024 11:30 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2580"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=476176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/476176\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=476176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=476176"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=476176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}