PESTICIDE APPROVALS REVIEW PROGRAMME

This programme aims to review systematically the registration of the 823 active ingredients approved for use within the EU prior to 25th July 1993. As with the MRL harmonization programme, the continued registration of a pesticide depends on appropriate data being generated and submitted by interested parties, again usually agrochemical companies. This means that, in practice, only those active ingredients which are commercially important are likely to remain registered for use. It is clear that the two programmes will together lead to:

• withdrawal of approximately 350 of the 823 active ingredients from the approved list (although producers outside of the EU may be able to secure import tolerances for some of the 350);
• a substantial increase in the number of crop/active ingredient combinations for which MRLs will be set at the Level Of Detection (LOD) i.e., analytical zero.

While these programmes are causing and will continue to cause problems for EU growers, the impact on developing country growers exporting to the EU is likely to be particularly harsh.

Related Information: MRL Harmonization Programme; ACP Pesticides Initiative; Implications of EU Legislation; Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures