The European Commission has submitted a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO) stating that, in accordance with the EU Regulation on Plant Protection Products (EC) No 1107/2009, the EU intends to no longer approve the registration of plant protection products containing the active substance Flufenacet.
Flufenacet is an arylacetamide herbicide developed by Bayer AG in Germany, which can inhibit cell division and growth. It is mainly used to control annual grass weeds (such as ryegrass) and some broad-leaved weeds.
At present, Flufenacet has been approved for marketing in multiple countries and regions, such as China, Canada, the European Union, the United States, Southeast Asia, etc. As of January 2025, Flufenacet has obtained 6 raw material registrations and 21 formulation registrations in China.
In 2004, Flufenacet was officially approved under the old EU pesticide regulation (Directive 91/414/EEC), with an initial validity period until December 31, 2013. Due to the slow progress of the re evaluation work, the approval validity period of Flufenacet has been postponed multiple times, with the latest extension to June 15, 2025.
Until September 2024, the European Food Safety Authority submitted the latest review results on Flufenacet to the European Commission, pointing out the following critical areas of concern:
Flufenacet has been confirmed as an endocrine disruptor in the human thyroid hormone (T) pathway.
The use of Flufenacet poses a high risk to aquatic organisms (algae).
Although the applicant has submitted technical opinions regarding the examination results, it has not fully addressed the EU's concerns about the aforementioned risks of Flufenacet. Therefore, the EU has determined that Flufenacet no longer meets the approval criteria for pesticide active substances, and has ultimately decided not to approve the active substance, and has notified the WTO.
At present, the European Union has not issued a formal decision to revoke the approval of Flufenacet. According to the EU's notification to the WTO, the formal decision is expected to be released in the middle of this year.
After the resolution was issued, member states had a certain period of time to revoke the approval of plant protection products containing Flufenacet. According to the EU Plant Protection Products Regulation, the grace period for the approval of corresponding plant protection products shall not exceed 12 months from the effective date of the revocation of approval resolution. Due to the critical areas of concern shown by Flufenacet in terms of environmental and endocrine disruption, its buffering period may be shorter compared to other banned active substances, and relevant agricultural enterprises can prepare in advance. The specific buffer period will also be provided in the official ban notice of the European Union.
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