The European Commission prohibits the use and marketing of pesticides with Chlorpyrifos and Methyl Chlorpyrifos

In January 2020 the European Union will ban the use of Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used in agriculture since 1965, by not extending its license. The European Commission will not renew the licenses of the active substances Chlorpyrifos and Methyl-chlorpyrifos that until now had been used in the manufacture of phytosanitary products, according to regulations 2020/17 and 2020/18 that on January 13, 2020 published the Official Journal of the EU.

The new regulation establish that member countries of the European Union will withdraw authorizations for phytosanitary products that contain any of these substances, with a deadline for their withdrawal on February 16, 2020 with an optional grace period depending on the country that will expire on the 16th of April 2020. We can then assume that from May 2020 the sale and use of products containing these substances will be prohibited.

In South Africa, the use of Chlorpyrifos was banned in 2010 for residential use but it is, however, still allowed to be used for pest control in the agricultural sector. In the United States, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) totally banned its commercialization and use in 2015. In Europe, eight member countries of the Union had already banned these substances.

To find out the EU MRL for Chlorpyrifos, visit the EU Pesticides database.

For any clarification or request for information without obligation, you can contact our Department of Food Safety.

Discover more advantages of AGQ Labs, the leading laboratory in food safety.