American agriculture’s access to methyl bromide as a crop protection tool is unfairly restricted by provisions of the Montreal Protocol, the American Farm Bureau Federation told Congress today.

Under the terms of the protocol, to which the United States is a party, “non-critical” use of the product was phased out in January. Although a “critical use” exemption (CUE) process exists to determine how much methyl bromide should be allocated to the United States and other nations, the process is fundamentally flawed and must be revamped, according to Farm Bureau.

The international process for granting CUEs is not objective, transparent or science-based, Farm Bureau said. For both 2005 and 2006, the quantity of methyl bromide requested by the United States was cut significantly by international reviewers with little explanation or opportunity for meaningful reconsideration.

Farm Bureau regulatory relations specialist Rebeckah Freeman highlighted three key issues related to the CUE process in testimony to a House subcommittee.

“Securing continued, adequate availability of methyl bromide for U.S. farmers and ag processors is economically essential, scientifically defensible and legally justified,” Freeman said. “Feasible alternatives do not exist – and are not expected soon – for agricultural users currently requesting CUE consideration.”

The process for reviewing CUEs is essentially broken, Freeman said. “The United States government must insist on improvements to this process. Unless there is a legitimate scientific concern, the approval process should be based solely on real need for the product, rather than political or other considerations.”

Freeman said it’s time for Congress to take steps to assure that U.S. agricultural users have fair access to methyl bromide, which is needed to provide consumers with high-quality, affordable products.

Methyl bromide is an essential soil pre-plant treatment for the production of strawberries, tomatoes, grapes, almonds, walnuts, peppers, eggplant and cut flowers. It is also used for post-harvest treatment of crops in order to meet sanitary standards set by the Food and Drug Administration and importing countries for grains, dry beans, raisins, prunes, figs, dates almonds and walnuts.