Met Éireann issues blight warning for 7 counties

A new 'phone app' is under development to help identify potato blight at an earlier stage
A new 'phone app' is under development to help identify potato blight at an earlier stage

Met Éireann has issued an environmental advisory for the possibility of potato blight, saying that weather at present could lead to the spread of the pathogen in a number of counties.

The national forecaster said that weather conditions conducive to the spread of potato blight will occur from midday tomorrow (Tuesday, July 8) through to Wednesday night (July 9).

The counties that will be affected are counties Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo, as well as coastal parts of counties Clare, Galway and Kerry.

The period of the warning will begin at midday tomorrow and will be in effect for almost 36 hours, until 11:30p.m on Wednesday.

In general this week, the weather is expected to be warm and settled, with Met Éireann saying that a high pressure weather system known as the ‘Azores High’ is expected to build later this week across Ireland.

The national forecaster has said that it will become very warm or even hot in parts of the country from Thursday.

Today (Monday, July 7) will be a dry day with warm spells of sunshine, cooler and cloudier in west Connacht and Ulster where there may be some light showers.

Highest afternoon temperatures will be 14-23°C, feeling warmest across the southeast and east. Northwest winds will be mostly moderate, occasionally fresh in strength.

Tonight will be dry in most areas, apart from western and northwestern fringes where there will be a little patchy rain or drizzle. Lowest temperatures will be 9-13° in light to moderate northwest to west wind.

Meanwhile, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has begun hearing a potentially crucial case challenging a decision by the European Commission to withdraw approval for a fungicide formerly used to protect against potato blight.

The substance mancozeb was withdrawn from the EU market in late 2020 by the previous European Commission.

The case now being heard by the CJEU relates to a challenge by UK-based UPL Europe Ltd and Netherlands-based Indofil Industries against the commission’s 2020 decision.

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Both applicants are manufacturers of agricultural chemicals, and both supplied mancozeb-based products to the EU market prior to the withdrawal of its approval.

This action was initially brought against the commission in December 2020, not long after the commission decided to withdraw approval for mancozeb.

The application document states that the applicants are calling on the court to annul the commission’s Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2087, concerning the non-renewal of the approval of the active substance mancozeb.

The applicants claim that the assessment procedure that led to mancozeb’s withdrawal was impaired by the infringement of the applicants’ rights of defence.

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