Withdrawn Pesticides
Withdrawals by Companies
Why do companies withdraw products?
Pesticide companies are free to decide to take unprofitable products off the market or to replace old products with new, improved products. Companies also need new registrations when they change their names, for instance after a merger. Most pesticide withdrawals are for these sorts of reasons rather than new safety concerns.
Could companies put a withdrawn pesticide back on the market?
Yes, if they apply for it to be approved. We would treat it as a completely new pesticide (unless it has gone through a review) and look at scientific data showing it meets modern safety standards before approving it again.
Companies can also use the same trade name for a replacement product with different ingredients. But this product would have a new registration number.
Reviews
What are reviews?
In 1995 the EC began to review all pesticide active substances to ensure they continued to meet modern safety standards. (Before then, the UK had a similar national programme.) Companies submit a wide range of scientific data and regulatory authorities review the data against EC standards.
More about the EC Review programme
Why do they lead to products being withdrawn?
Pesticide companies sometimes decide not to support their substances through the review for commercial reasons. For instance, providing the modern data package required would cost too much compared to the profits available. Sometimes the review shows supported substances fail to meet EC standards and so the approvals are withdrawn. Almost always the review also shows it's safe to use up the products, so we give retailers and users about 18 months to sell and use up what they have.
Safety and Bans
Are withdrawn pesticides dangerous?
The majority of products are withdrawn by companies. When a review concludes that a product has not met the required standards and must be withdrawn, it almost always concludes that there are no safety reasons to stop the product already on the market from continuing to be sold and used up. We always explain this.
Are withdrawn pesticides banned?
No, they are just no longer on sale or approved for use. There is no ban stopping them coming back onto the market if someone applied with scientific data to demonstrate they meet modern safety standards.
There are some pesticides that are banned in the EC and UK. These cannot come back onto the market.
So what do you do if a pesticide is dangerous?
If in the future we had to stop use of a pesticide straight away we would make one-off arrangements to protect users or the environment. We would give full details of the problem and make sure publicity about the arrangements to deal with it was as wide as possible. It is very rare for a review or other investigation to conclude that there are safety concerns about a product or active substance.
Finding out about withdrawals
How can I find out which products have been withdrawn?
CRD publishes information about all withdrawals.
Garden Pesticides - News on Withdrawn Products
Search for details about a particular garden pesticide
Ask us if you can't find the information you need
Do we get any warning about withdrawals?
We allow time (normally 18 months in total) for retailers to sell and users to use what they already have, so long as it is safe to use the product up. Product withdrawals are usually covered in the relevant trade press.
We understand that home gardeners and allotment holders don't normally need to follow product developments as closely as professional users like farmers. So when a large number of home garden products are withdrawn we tell the gardening press and retailers what’s happening and why.
If a pesticide was withdrawn for serious safety reasons there might not be much warning for anyone. But this is very rare.
How can I find out about replacement products?
Often a product is simply replaced by a new version with the same name and a different registration number. You can look up the name in our database.
Ask us if you can't find the information you need
You can also check with the manufacturers - many have websites or helpline numbers on their product labels.