Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black has expressed regret over the decision of Bayer CropScience not to resume production of methyl isocyanate (MIC) at its plant in Institute, W.V.

The chemical is an ingredient in the insecticide Temik and will result in the closure of Bayer's plant in Woodbine, Ga., and leave farmers searching for alternatives to the widely-used product.

“This is not good news for Georgia's farmers,” said Commissioner Black. “I understand Bayer’s position from a business standpoint. After completely overhauling its West Virginia plant and making technical modifications, they faced the uncertainty and delays of lawsuits and regulations.

“Agencies should make sure they understand the economic impacts of their actions and that they carefully analyze sound scientific data before acting. In this case, government red tape and regulation forced a company to stop producing an insecticide it had already agreed to stop producing by 2012 and stop selling by 2014,” said Commissioner Black.

Georgia farmers will have to discontinue using the widely-used insecticide much sooner than they expected. They should contact their county Extension agents for information on possible Temik alternatives.