Is Carbendazim going to be banned as a worm killer?

I am hearing a lot of rumour about the banning of Carbendazim as a wholesale worm killer.

The debate about its use in horticulture and food production has been rattling about for years and will probably, never go away.

My understanding is, Carbendazim was found by accident, to interrupt the eating habits of worms but is primarily a fungicide.

When it was realised that Carbendazim indeed helped in the control of worms, some companies licensed the product, with Carbendazim as the active ingredient, under their own brands.

However, this licensing costs money so the logical thing, now that greenkeepers, groundsman and lawn care professionals are fully aware of how Carbendazim works, is to just revert to the license for fungal treatments.

This does not mean that - at this moment in time - Carbendazim is being withdrawn from use but merely that it's classification as a worm killer/controller is being discontinued.

I am sure that the respective companies who sell Carbendazim under their own brands will continue to give advice on treating worms and indeed the chemicals available will still work as they did before.

I would be delighted if there are any industry professionals who can add more meat to the bones or indeed set me straight if I have missed something here.

For a full list of pesticide and and insecticide products approved for importation and use in the UK - visit pesticides.gov.uk.

In the meantime, anyone interested in worm control may find controlling worms in a lawn of interest.