NOAH welcomes COT Report on OPsAlthough detailed study of the new Committee on Toxicology report on organophosphates is required, the National Office of Animal Health welcomes its basic findings. The report, published today, says that ‘the balance of evidence does not support (allegations that repeated low level) exposure causes peripheral neuropathy or clinically significant effects’. NOAH congratulates the CoT working party for the open and thorough way in which it conducted its enquiry and the trouble it took to ensure all interested parties had the opportunity to provide evidence. The report will become an important reference document on the use of OPs in UK agriculture. Any subsequent decisions on the future of OP products should take into account the fact that these products have a long history of effective use in Britain and around the world and are licensed under EU and UK law. They have been the subject of repeated and wide ranging reviews which, after expert and independent investigation, determined that they should continue to be marketed. “This COT report provides a most valuable review of all that has been done over the years to investigate the human health aspects of OPs,” said Roger Cook, director of NOAH, speaking at the report’s Department of Health launch. However, decisions on any farm chemical require a complete risk benefit analysis. With sheep dips, for example, there are bearings on: 1. Animal welfare UK sheep are prey to a wide range of debilitating and potentially life threatening parasites. Following the previous government’s disastrous decision to end compulsory treatment, sheep scab is now endemic throughout Great Britain. Afflicted sheep are so damaged by the irritation of the parasite that they can stop feeding, lose condition, fertility falls and in extreme cases animals may die or be destroyed. Blowfly strike, where maggots literally eat the sheep alive, can take hold in a few days, animals die of toxic shock or have to be destroyed. Other parasites, once rare, such as lice and keds, have increased since the end of compulsory dipping. OP sheep dips have the widest range of efficacy against ectoparasites affecting sheep. 2. Environmental Protection It is important to remember why OP products came into use for dipping - they were seen as ‘kind’ to the environment when HCH dips were withdrawn in the mid 1980’s. Now there is more choice for farmers, but every product has its advantages and disadvantages and SP dips, for example, have been cited as being a potential environmental hazard if disposal instructions are not followed properly. 3. Farm Costs The ability of the farmer to choose the most appropriate product for his or her own particular circumstance is vital. At this critical time for sheep farming, OP dips are perceived by many farmers as being the most cost effective for them. The products’ broad spectrum can lead to ‘added value’: by also killing parasites of minor clinical importance, the sheep skins will be better quality and increase the value of the animals. 4. The right to choose Farmers still choose OP dips - 15 000 have chosen to undertake the certificate of competence to dip, and, despite 10 years of bad publicity about OPs, the proportion of OP dips in all sheep ectoparasite sales is now rising, currently standing at 27%. No one has ever been forced to use OPs, and there is now a very wide choice of products available. Farmers, like all consumers, should have the right to make an informed choice of the right product for them and their animals. NOAH looks forward to studying the CoT report and to working with government, as with previous investigations, to discuss determine whether any further measures may be needed to ensure the continued availability of these welfare and environmentally friendly products, which farmers want to use.
26 November 1999 Notes for EditorsFor further information contact Roger Cook or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131, or visit the NOAH website. The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 36 corporate members and 10 associate members. In 1998 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £384 million UK animal health market, with additional valuable exports.
See alsoBriefing document "Organophosphates for animal health"
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