Ctgb policy on pheromones and attractants

Semiochemicals are substances that are emitted by plants, animals and other organisms to communicate (send chemical messages). These substances can have various effects, such as attracting or repelling other organisms, or disrupting their behaviour. Various plant protection products contain these substances. Depending on their purpose, they may require an authorisation as a plant protection product. Regarding the development, authorisation and use of plant protection products based on semiochemicals (including pheromones), in May 2016 a European guidance was approved: ‘Semiochemical active substances and plant protection products’. In response to these developments, the Ctgb has clarified the policy in the Netherlands for products based on semiochemicals and attractants.

Requirement for authorisation depends on the purpose of the product

According to the Plant Protection Products Regulation, no authorisation is required for products containing attractants as long as they do not contain any other chemical active substance. In plant protection, an attractant is not considered to be an active substance.

Primary function of semiochemical or attractant in the product	Additional function	Plant protection (according to the Plant Protection Product Regulation, PPPR)
Traps	None	No authorisation required*  (monitoring only)
	Mechanical control	No authorisation required*
	Insecticide or other type of active substance	PPPR authorisation required (a semiochemical or attractant is not an active substance)
Disrupt behaviour	n.a.	PPPR authorisation required (a semiochemical is an active substance)
Repel	n.a.	PPPR authorisation required (a semiochemical is an active substance)

* according to the Guidance on Semiochemicals