EU: Metribuzin is about to be withdrawn from the EU market

On July 24, the European Commission issued a notification to the WTO: based on the Plant Protection Products PPP REGULATION (EC) No 1107/2009, it intends to no longer approve the active substance Metribuzin for the EU registration of plant protection products.

At present, the EU has not issued a formal resolution to revoke the approval of Metribuzin, and according to the content of the EU's notification to the WTO, it is expected to be officially issued in the fourth quarter of this year. After the publication of the resolution, Member States have a certain amount of time to withdraw the approval of plant protection products containing Metribuzin. According to the EU Plant Protection Products Regulation 1107/2009, the grace period for the approval of the corresponding plant protection products shall not exceed 12 months from the entry into force of the withdrawal of approval. The specific buffer period will also be given in the EU's official ban notice.

Metribuzin is a triazinone herbicide developed by DuPont in the United States. It plays a herbicidal activity by inhibiting photosynthesis of sensitive plants. After application, the germination of sensitive weeds is not affected, and the leaves are chlorinated after emergence. It is mainly used to control annual broad-leaved weeds and some grass weeds. At present, Metribuzin has been approved for market in many countries and regions, such as China, Australia, the European Union, the United States, Brazil and so on. As of July 2024, 21 technicals and 107 formulations have been registered in China.

In 2007, Metribuzin was first approved by the European Union under the old EU Pesticide Regulation (Directive 91/414/EEC), valid until 31 July 2018. Due to the delay in the completion of the re-review, the approval period of Metribuzin has been repeatedly extended, most recently to 15 February 2025. Until last August, the European Food Safety Authority informed the European Commission of the results of its latest review on Metribuzin, which mainly included the following risk points:

1. Non-dietary exposure risks for bystanders and residents exceed AOEL values in all representative uses. 

2. Metribuzin is low risk to birds, mammals, aquatic organisms and soil organisms. When used in potatoes, Metribuzin presents a high field risk to non-target arthropods. In addition, in all representative uses, the high risk of Metribuzin for bees cannot be ruled out. 

3. Metribuzin has been identified as an endocrine disruptor of the human thyroid hormone (T) pathway.

The European Commission invited applicants to submit comments on the findings of the review, but the EU's concern about the risk points of Metribuzin has not been resolved. Therefore, the EU concluded that Metribuzin no longer met the approval criteria of the pesticide regulation, and finally decided not to approve the active substance and notified the WTO.