(4 and 5 December 2024) Flufenacet, a widely used active ingredient in pesticides, is about to lose its EU approval granted in 2003, if Member States agree to a draft decision by the European Commission.
This follows concerns by Polish authorities who received an application for renewing the approval that will expire in June 2025. They concluded that flufenacet is an endocrine disruptor, and the applicant could not demonstrate that human exposure is negligible. They also identified a high potential for groundwater pollution with the forever chemical TFA, a degradation product of flufenacet.
Member States discussed flufenacet’s re-approval alongside another PFAS-pesticide, flutolanil, in the Standing committee on plants, animals, food, and feed. The Committee is expected to issue its opinion in March 2025.
The European federation of water services, EurEau, said: “This is a critical step. Member States must act to halt the rise of TFA in water resources and withdraw all PFAS-containing pesticides”.
Several other pesticides can degrade into TFA. The PFAS restriction proposal excludes pesticide’s active ingredients from its scope.
- European Commission, draft decision to not renew flufenacet approval (28 Nov. 2024)
- European Commission, draft agenda of the Standing committee on plants, animals, food and feed for 4-5 Dec 2024 (Nov. 2024)
- UBA, report – Reducing the input of chemicals into waters: TFA as a persistent and mobile substance with many sources, p. 12 (Nov. 2021)
- EurEau, press release on flufenacet ban proposal (4 Dec. 2024)
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