EU Publishes Peer Review of Pesticide Risk Assessment for Active Substance Difenoconazole

According to the latest news from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), on July 26, 2024, the agency officially launched the peer review process for the pesticide risk assessment of the pesticide active substance difenoconazole.

After a thorough and detailed evaluation, EFSA has proposed a series of reliable endpoints for regulatory risk assessment for the use of phenacetoconazole as a fungicide on crops such as pome, carrot, wheat, barley, rye and oats. These endpoints are established based on a comprehensive consideration of existing research and literature in the peer-reviewed archives to ensure the safety and compliance of pesticide use.

The background of this peer review was initiated at the request of the European Commission to further submit and evaluate the confirmatory information submitted for the consumer risk assessment. In the evaluation process, EFSA strictly followed the principles of science, impartiality and transparency, and conducted an in-depth analysis of the representative use of phenacetoconazole on different crops.

Ultimately, the evaluation concluded that the use of phenoxyconazole as a fungicide on these crops did not raise any safety concerns, supported by the available data and literature. This conclusion provides a solid scientific basis for the continued safe application of phenacetoconazole in the European market.

Excerpts from the original report are as follows:

"The conclusions of the EFSA peer review have been published on the basis of a preliminary risk assessment of the pesticide active substance phenoxyconazole carried out by the competent authorities of the reporting country, Spain. The peer review was carried out in response to a request made by the European Commission following the submission and assessment of confirmatory information relating to a consumer risk assessment. The conclusion was based on an evaluation of the representative use of phenoxyconazole as a fungicide on pome, carrot, wheat, barley, rye, and oat crops. Reliable endpoints for regulatory risk assessment, drawn from existing research and/or literature in peer-reviewed archives, have been presented. During this process, no security concerns were identified."