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The background to this decision is the withdrawal of the applications by the submitters, who had originally applied for an extension of the authorisation. The Commission has thus decided on the accelerated ‘end’ for the two active substances. Fenpyrazamine (CAS No.: 473798-59-3) was used as a fungicide. It was one of the few active substances used in viticulture against Botrytis and also showed a good preventive effect in fruit and vegetable cultivation.

Flumetralin (CAS no.: 62924-70-3) is a growth regulator that is used in tobacco cultivation, among other applications. It is one of the PFAS pesticides that are currently being criticised. On the one hand, they are persistent, but on the other hand they decompose to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) when exposed to light, for example. TFA is an aggressive and highly toxic acid with a proven toxic effect on reproduction. TFA can easily enter drinking water and is difficult to remove.

The authorisation for both active substances ends on 15 January 2025 and we currently have no information on a use-by date for remaining stocks. It can therefore be assumed that the maximum residue levels for all types of fruit and vegetables will be lowered to the respective limits of determination in the near future.

For fenpyrazamine, there are currently still many applications for which the authorised maximum residue levels are in some cases far above the analytical limit of determination of 0.01 mg/kg (e.g. for leafy salads, soft fruit and fresh herbs). For flumetralin, on the other hand, the maximum residue levels have already been reduced to 0.01 mg/kg.