US grain group seeks methyl bromide ban exemption
Date: 25-Sep-02
Country: USA
Methyl bromide, which is used to kill insects in grain mills, is being phased out under a United Nations agreement that linked the chemical to depletion of the earth's ozone layer.
The U.S. grain millers group said a ban would cost the industry more than $60 million annually. Most of the cost will be from lost revenues as a result of having to temporarily close mills to use sanitizers that are slower acting.
"Mill cleanliness is expected by consumers and required by Food and Drug Administration regulations," said Bernard Rothwell, chairman of the millers group. "Methyl bromide is the best tool we have for doing that."
Few effective alternatives are available, the group said. The U.S. Agriculture Department has spent more than $100 million researching alternatives, with little success, Rothwell said.
Methyl bromide is being phased out under the U.N. plan with a 25 percent reduction in 1999 and again in 2001, followed by a 20 percent reduction in 2003. It will be completely banned from use in developed nations by Jan. 1, 2005.
Rothwell said U.S. mills have already cut their methyl bromide usage significantly. The EPA-approved dosage is 6.0 pounds per thousand cubic feet, but U.S. millers use only 1.25 pounds, he said.
"Under United Nations rules, our agricultural competitors get to keep using methyl bromide, so banning it here only hurts U.S. agriculture without any benefit to the environment," Rothwell said.
The United States once consumed about 60 million pounds of methyl bromide annually.
About 75 percent of methyl bromide used in the United States fumigates soil before planting crops, while 11 percent is used to fumigate harvested commodities during storage and export. Another 6 percent is used to fumigate food plants, warehouses, museums, antiques and transportation vehicles. The remaining 8 percent goes into the production of other chemicals.