Plant Protection Products

Answers to objection to "Environmental risk assessment of the fungicide Infinito"

Commissioned:

Report no: 2014: 18

Published: 04.02.2014

Main message:

In an assessment requested by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) states that its previous conclusions in a risk assessment from 2012 on the problematic environmental properties with regard to persistence, accumulation and mobility of fluopicolide and one of its metabolites is maintained.

Infinito is a new fungicide for use in potatoes and contains the two active substances fluopicolide and propamocarb.

Fluopicolide is a new active substance in Norway, while propamocarb is already approved in several plant protection products.

In 2012 the Panel on Plant Protection Products of VKM conducted a risk assessment of Infinito. Based on the environmental properties pointed out in this risk assessment, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority rejected an application for use of Infinito in Norway.

This decision has been appealed by Bayer Crop Science, and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority asked VKM to evaluate the arguments in the appeal.

Evaluation of appeal arguments

VKM’s main conclusion in the risk assessment performed in 2012 was that both fluopicolide and its main metabolite, M-01 (2,6- dichlorobenzamid (BAM)), are persistent in soil and surface water, and may accumulate in Norwegian soils. M-01 is also highly mobile, and presents a potential for groundwater contamination.

Assessments conducted by VKM are based on recognized international methodology and documentation from experimental studies submitted by the applicant, and data obtained from peer reviewed literature.

VKM states that the view in the original risk assessment is maintained, and that the arguments underlying the perceived risk for soil accumulation and groundwater contamination is further strengthened by additional documentation from the Norwegian National Monitoring program (JOVA) and additional international studies.

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Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø

The Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

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