The Council of Agriculture on Monday announced a ban on a fipronil spray product from today, following incidents of tainted eggs and bee deaths last month.
The council banned the product’s use in agricultural produce in January last year, but it was still permitted for other uses, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Deputy Director-General Feng Hai-tung (馮海東) said yesterday.
The council banned the product — a 4.95 percent fipronil spray — because it is likely to miss its target and land on nearby plants and animals, Feng said, adding that there is a maximum fine of NT$5 million (US$166,279) for breaches of the regulations.
Fipronil was last month confirmed as being the cause of bee deaths in Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里), while eggs at 45 poultry farms were found to contain traces of fipronil above legal limits, he said.
About 0.033 micrograms of fipronil residue was found in each bee, he said.
Farmers and retailers should return the banned product to where it was purchased, the council said.
Those selling, displaying or storing insecticide in breach of the Agro-pesticides Management Act (農藥管理法) face fines of between NT$1 million and NT$5 million and prison terms of six months to five years, the council said.
Three fipronil products are still allowed to be used: 250 grams per liter fipronil for rice seeds, as well as 0.3 percent and 0.0143 percent pellets for pests, it said.
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