Large Methyl Bromide Exemptions Granted for Agricultural Use

The U.S. and 11 other developed countries can continue to use the fumigant methyl bromide in 2005, negotiators for the Montreal protocol agreed in Prague on Nov. 26. The parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer had agreed in 1995 to phase out the use of methyl bromide in developed countries by 2005. However, the treaty allows exemptions for uses where economically feasible alternatives to the pesticide are not available. Under the Nov. 26 agreement, the U.S. is allowed to use methyl bromide at 37% of its 1991 baseline level in 2005 and at 27% in 2006. As a result, the U.S., rather than decreasing methyl bromide use in 2005, may be increasing it. In 2003, according to EPA figures, the U.S. released 7,674 metric tons of methyl bromide gas, primarily on agricultural soils. In 2005, it is being allowed to use 8,942 metric tons, which is more than half of the total allowed for all 12 developed countries that applied for exemptions. The U.S. claims that methyl bromide use is especially important for strawberry and tomato production.