Brussels, 09/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is completing its review of active substances used in plant protection products (PPPs) including insecticides, fungicides and herbicides, to see whether they meet safety standards for being legally marketed in the European Union.
More than half the 850 active substances on the market in 1993 will be withdrawn in 2003, to protect the environment and human health. Twenty or so PPPs have already been banned and 320 will be withdrawn by the end of July. The Commission has announced that a further 110 PPPs are to be withdrawn from the market by December 2003 as part of the European Commission's new approach to the evaluation of active substances in plant protection products. They are mostly insecticides, fungicides and herbicides whose manufacturers will not be “defending” to the designated authorities in the Member States and the European Food Safety Authority. A few temporary derogations will apply in some Member States for some “essential uses”. This is for products that are not defended by the manufacturer, but for which there is no readily available alternative for the crops in question and no safety concerns linked to their continued restricted and time-limited use.
Directive 91/414 on the authorisation, use and control of plant protection products insecticides, fungicides, herbicides etc. was adopted in 1991. It sets up a harmonised authorisation system for the active substances used in plant protection products at EU level. Member States may then approve products containing such EU agreed substances for use on their territory. The 1991 rules make EU authorisations of active substances subject to a positive outcome of safety evaluations, for which producers must present data. At the time of adoption of Council Directive 91/414/EEC in 1991, there were over 850 such substances authorised for use in the Member States. The Commission highlights that there are measures already in place to ensure that the active substances currently in use are monitored with a view to identifying levels in excess of the maximum residue limits so Member States can take corrective measures to ensure the safe use of the PPPs and thus ensure there is no risk to health. The Commission aims to take decisions on all defended substances before the end of 2008, thus completing the harmonisation of active substances allowed in pesticides in the EU.
The current approach requires manufacturers to “defend” plant protection products, proving that their products reach the required safety standards. Most of the products to be withdrawn will be as a result of manufacturers declining to defend their products for economic or other reasons. To defend substances, the manufacturers had to notify their commitment to submit complete data packages to the designated authorities in the Member States and to the European Food Safety Authority. Defended substances may continue to be authorised until such time as the evaluations are complete and a decision is taken as regards the safety status of the product in question.