Pesticide ‘thiacloprid’ will no longer be approved for use on plants

Systemic pesticides, or ‘neonicotinoids’, as is well-known, are used in plant protection products to deter harmful insects. Perhaps less well-known is that they contain nicotine. Currently, five of them have been approved for use in the EU, of which three are subject to restrictions through regulations, according to the Commission’s website.

Yesterday, the Commission decided that it will not renew its approval for the use of thiacloprid which expires on 30 April 2020, which was one of the current five neonicotinoids, on the grounds of health and environmental concerns. The Regulation adopted today will be out in the Official Journal soon.

Please click here to read the Commission’s press release, published yesterday, for more detail.