EU to withdraw approval of fungicide bitertanol

European Commission has proposed to withdraw approval of the fungicide bitertanol, which has been accepted by the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health.

 

Bitertanol was approved on 8 December 2011.  As a number of concerns were expressed stemming from the proposed categorisation of the substance as 'reproductive toxicant category 1B identified, only uses for fungicide for seed treatmen were authorised, and the approval period was limited to three and half years, the shortest possible period to allow the applicant to submit the additional data requested.  There were three relevant deadlines for the submission of the confirmatory data: the 30 June 2012, the 31 December 2013 and the date that falls two years after the adoption of specific guidance.

Bayer CropScience as the applicant should submit the confirmatory information by the deadline, but the company informed the Commission of its intention not to submit such information. So, the approval of the active substance bitertanol is withdrawn. 

 

As per the notice by EU, Member States shall withdraw authorisations for plant protection products containing bitertanol as active substance by 1 March 2014. Any grace period granted by Member States shall be as short as possible and shall expire 12 months after withdrawal of the respective authorisation at the latest.

 

The withdrawal shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication date.