The EU issued a formal ban on lambda-cyfluthrin

Recently, the European Union issued an announcement 2020/892, no longer approving the re-assessment application for lambda-cyhalothrin, and at the same time amended the active substance approval list (EU) No 540/2011. The announcement came into effect on July 20.

According to the announcement, the relevant preparation products should be withdrawn from the market within 6 months of the effective date of the announcement. Each member state can grant a grace period of 6 months, and the authorization of all products containing lambda-cyhalothrin should be revoked no later than July 20, 2021.

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Lambda-cyhalothrin is a common pyrethroid broad-spectrum insecticide with contact and stomach poisoning effects. It is used to control various pests on fruit trees and vegetables, and it is also used to control underground pests. In addition, it is also used as an active ingredient in mosquito coils and sprays in China. This type of pesticide was developed from natural pyrethrins after changing the structure, and quickly developed into a new type of pesticide in the 1970s. With its good insecticidal activity and faster metabolic degradation, it leads to lower pesticide residues. Soon it replaced the non-degradable high-residue organochlorine pesticides and was widely used.

At present, there are more than 50 kinds of pyrethroid pesticides on the market, and the more common ones are cypermethrin, deltamethrin, cyfluthrin, cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, and permethrin.


Reason for disapproving

According to the conclusions of the EFSA assessment report, the main reasons are as follows:

(1) Workers have unacceptable exposure risks when loading and sowing beet seeds treated with lambda-cyhalothrin;

(2) The application of lambda-cyhalothrin on potato and wheat fields will cause high risks to residents, non-target arthropods and aquatic organisms;

(3) Determine that the application of lambda-cyhalothrin to tomatoes in a non-permanent greenhouse will cause unacceptable risks to the applicator, workers and non-target arthropods;

(4) Based on existing data, consumer risk assessment cannot be completed.

According to the requirements for the approval of active substances in the EU pesticide regulations [see Article 4 of (EC) No 1107/2009], the use of plant protection products containing this substance should not cause adverse effects on human health and the environment. The EC comprehensively considered the assessment draft of the assessment country and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the results of the peer review, and considered that the conditions for approval of the substance were no longer met, and finally proposed that the substance should no longer be approved.