Diuron clears EU review at second attempt
Date:09-02-2008
The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) has reached a favourable vote for the re-registration of the herbicide, diuron. This was the second re-evaluation of the active ingredient under the EU review of existing ais. The application for diuron was resubmitted by DuPont and German company Lanxess Distribution under new EU procedures for ais that have so far been unsuccessful in gaining re-registration.
Diuron was originally in the second round of the EU review. It previously failed to gain re-registration due to concerns raised over the risk to operators and insufficient data on metabolites that may contaminate ground water. At the time, the European Commission said that the ai should be phased out by the end of 2008. Once the SCFCAH's latest vote is confirmed by the Commission, diuron will be added to Annex I of the EU agrochemical registration Directive (91/414).
At its latest meeting, the SCFCAH also voted on ais in the third round of the EU review. The herbicide, tralkoxydim, and the insecticides, abamectin and fenpyroximate, received positive votes for inclusion in Annex I. The fungicides, epoxiconazole and fenpyroximate were also supported. However, the committee agreed that the herbicides, chlorate and napropamide, and the fungicide, bromuconazole, should not be re-registered. Once confirmed by the Commission, phase-out deadlines will be set for these latter ais.
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