Grower Submission Guide
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended that Hydrogen Cyanamide (hicane) be banned and phased out over a five-year period. During the five-year phase-out period, the EPA are recommending the following controls:
There are other recommendations like updating labelling requirements and hazard classifications.
The EPA human and environment health risk assessment found:
To find out more about what the EPA have recommended, visit the NZKGI hicane page here (scroll down until you reach the EPA reassessment section)
Consultation is open until 20 December 2021 although NZKGI has requested a further extension to 6 April 2022. The EPA is yet to make a decision on this request.
To provide guidance to growers on how to complete a submission to the EPA, a submission guidance template has been developed. The intent is to help you with your submission and set out what type of information the EPA is wanting to know. The template provides headings to guide you but the information is your own. You can access the template here.
Submissions can be posted, emailed or you can fill in the online form on the EPA website:
Reassessments
Environmental Protection Authority
Private Bag 63002
Waterloo Quay
Wellington 6140
Complete the online response form
If you want to set out your own submission, see below for the type of information the EPA is looking for submitters to provide and your own personal information.
1.Provide a short summary of your growing operation – do you grow green/gold/red? How many hectares? What region?
2.Describe your hicane use and what systems are used to keep you/workers safe.
3.If hicane is banned describe what the financial impact would be. Include mental health implications.
4.Do you want to speak at the hearing?
5.Information on your use of closed cab application, closed systems for mixing and loading and/or any other technological developments that you have implemented.
6.If you have any data on occupational exposure monitoring.
7.Information on bird behaviour in New Zealand orchards.
8.Effectiveness and cost of alternatives to hydrogen cyanamide.
9.Positive effects, especially positive effects not identified in the reassessment application.
10.The value of hicane to your orchard.
11.Your spray practices.