The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has extended its suspension of short-chain ester forms of the phenoxy herbicide, 2,4-D, until January 31st 2013. Under the suspension, applications can only be made between May 1st and August 31st, with specified restrictions. Limits were first placed on ethyl, butyl and isobutyl esters of 2,4-D in 2006 because of concerns over spray drift (Agrow No 506, p 16). The APVMA began a review of the risks posed by 2,4-D spray drift ...

Researchers at the US University of Nebraska (Lincoln) have confirmed the presence of glyphosate-resistant kochia (Kochia scoparia) in the state. Field reports in 2011 indicated that there might be many kochia populations in western Nebraska that are resistant to the herbicide, the researchers state. Glyphosate-resistant kochia was first reported in the US in Kansas in 2009 and has become a serious problem in the west of the state, they add. Kochia is one of 12 weed species that have developed ...

Brazilian import authorities have disqualified Argentine agrochemical company Atanor’s (Buenos Aires) certificate of origin for imports of its glyphosate herbicide. Brazil and Mercosur customs union trade rules require that 60% of the product be nationally sourced, newswire Agrolink notes. The authorities say that the tested batches did not prove Argentine production. The company has to pay import duties before its products can be exported to Brazil, while the authorities will deny it ...

Proposed changes to allow more frequent applications of the herbicide, metazachlor, have been accepted by the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The active ingredient originally gained EU approval in 2009, but was limited to a maximum application rate of 1 kg/ha every third year on the same field (Agrow No 559, p 9). BASF subsequently applied for an amendment allowing more frequent use without exceeding the 1 kg limit over three years. The assessment of the application ...

Three decades of herbicide innovation have brought more than 130 new active ingredients, 1 dramatic increases in the effectiveness and reliability of weed control in virtually all major agronomic crops, and the launch of glyphosate-tolerant transgenics, which changed everything. While the pace of innovation as measured by ai launches averaged ~5.5 ai/year during the 1980s and 1990s, it dropped to just ~2 new ai/year since that time (Figure 1). Even more foreboding is the precipitous decline in ...

The European Commission has decided to suspend anti-dumping measures on imports of the herbicide, glyphosate, from China for nine months. The current anti-dumping duty of 29.9% was imposed in 2004 (Agrow No 458, p 9). The Commission reviewed the current measures in response to a submission from the association of users and distributors of agrochemicals in Europe, Audace. The association claimed that changes in market conditions justified the suspension.   The Commission notes that the ...

United Phosphorus has won an interim suspension of the EU phase-out programme for the herbicide, napropamide, until the company's main lawsuit against the EU authorities is settled. The company is challenging the European Commission's decision last year not to re-register the active ingredient, which initiated a process to withdraw all EU approvals by May 7th 2009 and to cease all sales and use by May 7th 2010. The EU Court of First Instance has ordered the Commission to suspend the start of ...

The New Zealand Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) has banned the herbicide, methylarsinic acid, and its sodium salt, MSMA. The Authority proposed the action earlier this year due to the persistency of arsenic, its potential to accumulate in the environment and its long-term impact on human health (Agrow No 562, p 11). MSMA is used to control weed grasses in turf. Growers have until May 31st 2010 to use or dispose of existing stocks. The ERMA received 11 submissions in response to ...