Bayer to Phase Out U.S. Production of Temik Insecticide

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Bayer CropScience AG (Monheim am Rhein, Germany) will begin phasing out production of Temik brand insecticide in the United States toward the end of this year, and will completely cease production by 2014. The two facilities that will be affected by this move are Bayer's plants in Woodbine, Georgia, and Institute, West Virginia.

Bayer CropScience had voluntarily cancelled the re-registration of aldicarb, an active ingredient used in the production of Temik, to comply with requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Washington, D.C.). After conducting a new risk assessment of the insecticide this year, the EPA found that the product no longer met food safety standards and could pose a health risk, especially to small children.

Farmers worldwide have used the Temik insecticide for nearly 60 years to guard against nematodes during the planting of crops such as potatoes, citrus, cotton and others. Nematodes are microscopic worms that infect a plant's roots during and prevent crops from receiving the water and nutrients necessary for healthy growth.

The plant in Woodbine, Georgia, which has been in operation since the 1940s, will permanently close its doors when Temik production ceases. The site occupies approximately 800,000 square feet of land and supports six buildings, ranging from chemical processing to packaging to distribution. The buildings are composed of metal sidings and structural steel framework are are each equipped with specialized equipment solely for the production of Temik.

Upon the closure of the plant, all equipment, including elevators, chutes, conveyors, bins, tanks and other equipment, will be dismantled and scrapped. In recent years, new products have entered into the market, which has made the site no longer economically viable for the company. The specialized equipment cannot be used to manufacture other products.

The facility, which has a nameplate capacity of 70 million pounds per year, had been producing an estimated 40 million pounds per year, due to a lack of demand from farmers. The plant currently employs approximately 85 workers. The small community of about 5,000 people will be greatly affected by the closure, as approximately two-thirds of the employees are from Woodbine.

The facility in Institute, West Virginia, which supplied the Woodbine site with aldicarb, will also close its Temik unit. The remainder of the plant will continue to produce the Larvin brand thiodicarb-based insecticide.

Both facilities will remain in operation for approximately another year as they continue to store and distribute as much product as possible to current customers and other markets worldwide until 2014, after which sales of the product will be ceased. Demolition is slated to begin in the spring of 2012 and be completed by the latter part of 2014.

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