On 2 December the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) deleted six products with immediate effect from the list of adjuvants to be mixed with plant protection products.

• Arma (listing number 5309-00)
• FRIGATE (4698-00)
• GENAMIN T-200 NF (4703-00)
• ISAGRARwaxGLI (6208-00)
• MonFast Plus (4860-00)
• ISAGRARwaxGLI (6161-00)

Subsequently the adjuvants listed above may not be placed on the market any more. Remaining stocks which the operator has in his possession may be used up according to the provisions of the Plant Protection Act. The deletion is not yet incontestable.

Adjuvants for plant protection products include wetting agents, adhesives and other co-formulants: adjuvants are added to plant protection products by the operator. The six adjuvants which have been deleted from the list contain wetting agents from the chemical group of the POE-tallow amines. These substances have less favourable toxicological and ecotoxicological properties than other wetting agents and can increase the toxicity of the plant protection products which are applied with them. The Plant Protection Act makes high demands on adjuvants: they must be safe for humans and the environment without the need for special risk management measures. Therefore, it is not possible for the BVL to eliminate identified risks posed by these products by introducing regulations to govern their use. In addition, adjuvants can be combined with a multitude of plant protection products.

There is no expiry for an adjuvant which is listed; however, the BVL may carry out a review at any time. Publications on the impact of tallow amines in the recent past have been the motive for such a review of the adjuvants in question. The results do not provide sufficient certainty as to whether these adjuvants with all their combinations and for all uses are safe for humans and the environment. Therefore, the BVL does not regard the six adjuvants as fulfilling the legal listing requirements any longer.

Year of issue 2011
Date 05.12.2011