No more exemptions for ornamental plant protection products

While we knew the Long Term Arrangements for Extension of Use (LTAEU) scheme was always going to come to a close at some point, we were all a little taken aback by the speed at which its closure was confirmed.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued an announcement at the end of November stating that the scheme would close on 31 December 2020.

This means that any plant protection products (PPPs) previously used on ornamental crops under the LTAEU must now have either an on-label or Extension of Authorisation for Minor Use (EAMU) authorisation.  Without either of those authorisations, they can no longer be used.

The UK regulator, HSE’s Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD), has been through a process of identifying PPPs used under the LTAEU that it felt had acceptable risks and has issued EAMUs for these, but not all products have been granted this authorisation.

Our team has been working hard to review products that are no longer available to growers and liaising with growers, consultants, and other organisations to look at our options. We have identified active substances that have been lost and initially prioritised nine herbicides, insecticides and fungicides that we believe still have value for the industry. We will try to pursue EAMUs for these.

It’s important to understand that all of these targeted uses have already been assessed and rejected by CRD for EAMU authorisation. However, we are working with the authorisation holders and CRD to see whether the use of the products can be adjusted to meet the risk assessment standards, or mitigations put in place, while still giving growers useful control.

We are also keen to hear from you. If you have previously been using products under the scheme that you think are no longer allowed but are still valuable to your business, please get in touch to let us know. We will look into the possible options available for you.  

About LTAEU scheme

• Introduced in the 1980s to allow PPP to be used on minor crops
• LTAEU withdrawn for edible crops in 2007
• Full closure date 31 December 2020
• CRD transferred products with what it considered acceptable risks to EAMUs prior to closure