Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an alternative to diquat for desiccating potatoes is being recommended for potato farmers in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11469/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is the Competent Authority in Ireland with responsibility for the authorisation of plant protection products and for the implementation of official controls relating to the placing on the market and use of these products.

Pesticide active substances such as diquat, contained in plant protection products are approved or not, as the case may be, centrally at EU level based on detailed scientific assessments managed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Diquat’s status as an approved active substance for use in plant protection products was not renewed following an EU review process and authorisations of plant protection products containing diquat were revoked at Member State level in 2019.

I recognise the challenges for the potato industry in completing the transition away from the use of diquat for the desiccation of potato crops. A number of actions have been taken by my Department and others to support potato growers. In April 2021, haulm toppers were added to the list of machinery eligible for grant aid under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II. Extensive advice, based on trial work carried out by Teagasc is now available to potato growers on how best to manage crops without the use of diquat.

Several plant protection products based on the active substances carfentrazone-ethyl and pyraflufen-ethyl are available to growers which when used as part of an overall Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach can provide a viable alternative for the desiccation of potato crops. Growers, as usual, should consult with their advisor on the most suitable IPM approach for their particular situation.