Newsletter October 2022

We are going to ask you again for your opinion on the Ctgb. We are in the process of formulating our strategy for the coming years, and your current feedback is an important source of information for us in doing so. In addition, we rely on social, political, economic and scientific developments, information and feedback from audits, evaluations and consultations with our clients and other professional contacts.

Our quadrennial ‘stakeholder survey’, which we sent out this week, is a good opportunity for you to express your opinions and ideas. In doing so, we fully realise that our most important task now and for the coming years is to reduce turnaround times. Several questions in the survey deal with that task. We are eager to hear your experiences and ideas about this topic. That can help us set the right goals and help us achieve those goals. 

The current multi-year strategy runs until 2024. For the preparation of the strategy for 2024-2027, we would like to know what is currently going on with our clients, the perception of the Ctgb, the perception of our assessment process and our advice to ministries. This week, most readers of this newsletter received an invitation to participate in this stakeholder survey. Please take the time to complete the survey. In this way, you can also contribute to our policies for the next four years!

Ingrid Becks

Secretary/Director

Due to the risks of phosphine toxicity during transport, the Ctgb wants to amend the regulations on the use of aluminium and magnesium phosphide and to ban fumigation during transport. After publication of the proposed decision in the Staatscourant (expected in mid-November 2022), authorisation holders and other interested parties will be given the opportunity to comment by means of public viewpoint procedure until no later than the end of December 2022, on the basis of which the Board will make a final decision. See the topic dossier on phosphine.

Phosphine

The instructions for the Wageningen Drift Calculator (WDC) have been updated. For applicants it was not always clear in which cases and for which non-target organisms the WDC should be used. Therefore, the use of the WDC for NLWG applications submitted after 01-01-2022 has now been clarified, as well as the explanation of hand-held/hand-pulled equipment on the legal conditions for use.

Instructions for using the Wageningen drift calculator

On October 4th, 2022, the Pesticides Atlas (in Dutch: Bestrijdingsmiddelenatlas) has been updated with the monitoring data of 2021. From the current update onwards, the Pesticide Atlas will specifically distinguish between the authorization thresholds of active substances that have an application as plant protection product as well as an application as biocide. Also, for recently expired substances (as plant protection products and/or as biocide) the Pesticide Atlas will still present the authorisation threshold(s).

Pesticide atlas updated with monitoring data of 2021

On 1-10-2022, the Evaluation Manual was updated. This included amendments to Chapter 7 Ecotoxicology Terrestrial Non Target Arthropods And Plants EU EM 2.6 and Chapter 7 Ecotoxicology Aquatic EU EM 2.5.

In addition to the amended sections, there is a new EM section: Chapter 7 Ecotoxicology Non Professional Uses EN EM 1.0

7. Ecotoxicology

The workshop on compiling microbial active substance and microbial product dossiers, scheduled for 29 November and 1 December 2022, is now fully booked. Due to the enormous interest in this topic, the Ctgb is considering whether to repeat the workshop next spring. If you are interested read on.

Workshop 'preparation microbial substance and microbial product dossiers' is fully booked

The use of dispensers and refills for hand disinfectants should be separately assessed for risks and should be specified in the summary of product characteristics (SPC). Labels on dispensers and refilled containers must include – as a minimum – the authorisation number, trade name, active substance concentration, instructions for use and exposure time. This was decided in the March 2022 CA meeting for hand disinfectants that are assessed evaluated under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).

Risk assessment of refills for hand disinfectant dispensers and their use

Under the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), products with very hazardous properties may not be marketed for non-professional use; this is regulated in Article 19(4). This also applies to in situ generated biocidal products, such as ozone generated from atmospheric oxygen. The classification applies to all biocides generated in situ (from precursors or from a device). This was decided in the June 2022 CA meeting (CA96). See: CA-June22-Doc. 4.7: Relation between Article 19(4) of the BPR and in situ biocidal products.

On 1-10-2022, the Evaluation Manual was updated. In particular, the Evaluation Manual 3.5 EU Biocides was amended.

European framework

Due to the risks of secondary toxicity for birds of prey, mustelids and domestic animals, the Ctgb is going to intervene in the authorisations of products to control rats and mice that are based on brodifacoum, bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, coumatetralyl, difenacoum, difethialone, flocoumafen and cholecalciferol or combinations of these active compounds. As of 1 January 2023, these products may only be used as a last resort within a new IPM system by certified companies and professionals. The proposed decision has been published in the Staatscourant. Interested parties have six weeks to respond to this proposed decision. See the topic dossier on rodent control.

Rodenticides