On the 15th of January 2020, the EU draft regulation implementing the list of co-formulants which may not be used in plant protection products or adjuvants (Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009) was published. This draft will probably be published in June this year.
According to the draft list, the following co-formulants are considered as unacceptable:
– Substances with a harmonized classification as carcinogens, category 1A or 1B, or as cell mutagens, category 1A or 1B, or as toxic to reproduction, category 1A or 1B,
– Substances identified as persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB),
– Substances identified as substances of very high concern due to endocrine disrupting properties,
– Substances identified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP),
– Substances restricted under REACH where their use as a co-formulant in plant protection products is covered by the restriction,
– Substances already identified as unacceptable co-formulants for plant protection products by Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Spain and Norway) or during the renewal of approval process of active substance (i.e. POE-tallowamines),
– In-can preservatives that were not approved under the Biocide Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 due to unacceptable risks for human health and the environment (i.e. PHMB),
A maximum period of two years has been proposed to allow European Union member countries to amend or withdraw agrochemicals containing some co-formulants on the list. The maximum period allowed for the sale and distribution of such products is three months and the period for disposal, storage and use is nine months from the date of withdrawal of the product.
Source: EU Pesticides database
Image source: “Banderas Europeas en el Berlaymont (Bruselas)” by Amio Cajander. is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.
