NOAH welcomes COT Report on OPs
Although 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dips were withdrawn in the mid 1980’s. Now there is more choice for farmers, but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 Editors
For 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 also
Briefing document "Organophosphates
for animal health"
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