European Union vetoes dimethoate molecule and use is restricted in citrus production

The European Union (EU) vetoed the use of dimethoate and the entry of goods with the presence of the active ingredient from July 30, 2020. As a preventive measure to avoid detection of the molecule after the deadline, the List committee PIC (Integrated Citrus Production) decided to restrict its use in the production of citrus for the juice industry and in fruits intended for export from this Friday, August 9, 2019. Dimethoate is an insecticide and acaricide, from the chemical group of organophosphates, widely used in agriculture, patented and introduced in Brazil in the 1950s. The molecule has an active registration in the country and is authorized for use in the protection of cotton, citrus, apple, rose, tomato and wheat crops.

The PIC List committee is made up of research institutes, consultants and juice producing industries and carries out periodic updates to comply with Brazilian legislation (Mapa, Anvisa and Ibama) and the regulations that regulate the use of pesticides in the main importing countries of Brazilian production. of citrus. The updated list can be accessed via link.

History of the EU ban

- June 2017: publication of regulation EU 1135/2017 informs that EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) determines the reduction of the MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) from 0,02 to 0,01 mg/kg of dimethoate, indicating that low doses of active ingredient could already reach the permitted limit. official publication. 

- January 2018: representatives of the citrus production chain and the agrochemical company FMC, which sells pesticides based on the molecule, meet to discuss adjustments in the range of applications and carry out technical work to evaluate the residual period. Possibilities of action were also discussed with the Brazilian government's agricultural attaché in Brussels (Belgium) to maintain the molecule's MRL. 

- May 2018: FMC begins studies to evaluate the residual period of the molecule. The results indicated that the minimum safety period so that there is no chance of residues being identified in the goods would be 110 days.

- October 2018: EFSA's re-evaluation of dimethoate has been completed and the expiry date of EU approval of the active ingredient has been set for 31/07/19. official publication.

- June 2019: EU publishes regulation 2019/1090, which deals with the non-renewal of approval of the substance and establishes a deadline of July 31, 2020 for the entry of goods with product residue. official publication.

- August 2019: The PIC List committee met last Tuesday (6) and unanimously decided to exclude the active ingredient dimethoate from the PIC List in the August update, as detailed above.

In case of doubts regarding the use of the product, the committee recommends that FMC, the product's manufacturer, be consulted.