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14.04.2020 - Foods

Chlorpyrifos and Chlorpyrifos-Methyl are banned EU-wide

The approval for the insecticides chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl ended in January 2020. The EFSA had confirmed the genotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity of these substances. Due to these harmful effects, the Commission proposed not to renew the approval of the insecticides.

The member states agreed to the proposal by a majority in December 2019 and banned the use of the two insecticides EU-wide in January.

The responsible EU Commissioner Stella Kyriakides commented: "Protecting citizens from dangerous chemicals is one of the priorities of my mandate and the European Green Deal."

In the EU, a grace period is in place until April 16, 2020. The new maximum residue levels are expected to come into force in October this year and will apply to both EU-produced and imported food.

In our Tentamus laboratories, we regularly perform tests for chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-methyl as part of a pesticide screening method. We provide you with fast and reliable results.
Our customer advisors are happy to assist with any questions.

Sources:

• European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/germany/news/20200110-insektengifte_de
• European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/approval_active_substances/chlorpyrifos_chlorpyrifos-methyl_en
• EFSA: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/scientific_output/5809-chlorpyrifos.pdf
• BfR: https://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/343/das-insektizid-chlorpyrifos-erfuellt-nicht-die-kriterien-fuer-die-erneuerung-seiner-genehmigung.pdf