Australia receives world’s first registration for new BASF insecticide Versys®

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the first in the world to complete registration for BASF’s Versys® insecticide (afidopyropen), providing Australian vegetable and cotton farmers with unparalleled access to the newest insecticide technology.

Versys, the first Group 9D insecticide of its kind, powered by BASF’s new active ingredient Inscalis®, controls aphids in as little as 15 minutes and gives suppression of silverleaf whitefly, both of which are becoming increasingly resistant to existing insecticides. It also adds increased harvest flexibility due to its short withholding periods.

The registration allows Versys to be used in brassicas, leafy brassicas, celery, cucurbits, fruiting vegetables, leafy vegetables, lettuce, potato, sweet potato, cotton, ginger and ornamentals.

“Versys will offer Australian farmers an alternative mode of action for the control of key insect pests and will be an essential tool to farmers for use in resistance and integrated pest management programs,” said Gavin Jackson, Head of Agriculture BASF Australia and New Zealand.

“We know that Australian growers are early adopters of innovation and technology and we are committed to delivering them access to world class solutions. It is really exciting that we have the first registration in the world for an Inscalis-powered insecticide, providing Australian farmers with faster access to new technology,” he added.

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, invests around €507 million each year into new agriculture research and development, and has a pipeline of around 25 new products launching in Australia over the next five years.

Versys will officially launch at the Hort Connections conference in Brisbane which runs from June 18-20, 2018.