The Spanish national plant health committee was formed this month, involving government and private sectors seeking solutions to current concerns in plant health. The committee involves the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, the “primary product” sector such as farmer and co-operative groups, the Spanish fruit and horticultural exporters and producers' association, the Fepex, and pesticide product associations. Its remit covers: the use and marketing of pesticides, including advice on their ...

The active ingredient in Syngenta’s fungicide, Zominex (zoxamide 240 g/litre) was incorrectly listed as owned by Dow AgroSciences in Agrow No 664, p 25. Zoxamide is owned by the US agrochemical company, Gowan (Yuma, Arizona). The company acquired the ai from Dow in 2008 (Agrow No 548, p 1). Gowan received approval for a 240 g/litre formulation of zoxamide as Zoxium in Italy last year. It is the only EU country where the formulation has been registered.

European Commission proposals to approve three terpene active ingredients, eugenol, geraniol and thymol, have been voted through by the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The approvals will come into force following publication in the EU Official Journal. UK company Eden Research submitted the applications in March 2008 (Agrow No 615, p 9). The three ais are in its encapsulated biofungicide, 3AEY, which is for the control of grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) on grapevines. ...

Syngenta has launched an oomycete fungicide twin-pack of Pergado (mandipropamid 250 g/litre) and Zominex (Dow AgroSciences’ zoxamide 240 g/litre), in Italy. Both are suspension concentrate formulations, and are marketed for use on grapevines, tomatoes and potatoes to control downy mildew at 0.5-0.6 litre/ha. The products are complementary and the pack is suitable for use as part of an IPM programme, Syngenta says. Pergado was approved in Italy in 2009 for use on the three crops and some ...

The co-operation and harmonisation within zonal member states as envisaged under EU agrochemical Regulation 1107/2009 has not yet produced the anticipated results. Member states are facing a resource crunch as they realise the workload involved under the new system, casting a question mark over the timelines stipulated within the Regulation. That was the gist of two days of presentations and discussions at the Informa Registration of Agrochemicals in Europe conference in Brussels last ...

Biopesticides are fast coming to the forefront of crop protection with the sector not just being a playing field of smaller niche players. The products are achieving mainstream status with most of the bigger players evincing interest in licensing deals and even acquisitions. But despite the general optimism pervading the industry, regulatory hurdles pose challenges to the survival of smaller companies and to the rapid growth of the sector. Dr Pamela Marrone, chief executive officer of US ...

A “wall of work” is heading the way of the EU, member state pesticide registration authorities and pesticide registrant companies, Dr Michael Carroll, global registration manager at Dow AgroSciences, warned at the 12th Agchem Forum in Barcelona, Spain last month. Dr Carroll presented experiences and the processes of the ongoing renewal programme for pesticide active ingredients in the EU, for which expiry dates are approaching, gave lessons learned, and advised that ambitious timelines will put ...

The agrochemical industry in Europe should be prepared for a blacklist by the end of next year of pesticide products based on active ingredients that the EU authorities have deemed as candidates for substitution, EU member state regulators have warned. These would include ais deemed safe under EU agrochemical registration Directive 91/414, clearing hazard and risk assessment obstacles in the registration process, but which would have subsequently been judged less so than others under new ...