The number of pesticides newly registered in China has plummeted from 4326 in 2018 to 294 in 2019 and one of the main causes is the elevated data requirements newly enforced. As an essential component of a dossier, product chemistry data is usually firstly reviewed by the competent authorities. In a training course organized by the Chinese Crop Protection Industry Association in June, Ms. Nancy Shen, technical supervisor of REACH24H, concluded the similarity and differences in the data requirements and exchanged her long years of experience in registering pesticides in China, EU and the United States.

1.[EU BPR]The First opinion on Union authorization was adopted The Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) supported applications for EU-wide access to the market  of two biocidal product families containing iodine/PVP-iodine for use in veterinary hygiene on 20 December 2017. It is the first opinion supporting applications for Union authorization which means that it is realized successfully that companies are allowed to place their biocidal products on the market throughout the entire Union with one authorization form. 2.[US EPA-FIFRA]Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA 4) will recently be updated PRIA 3 is about to expire and PRIA 4 will enable after PRIA 3 is invalid. While PRIA 3 was originally set to expire December 8, 2017, now for the duration of that Continuing Resolution period, it has been extended until January 19, 2018. When PRIA 4 is expected to be enabled, a number of new registration types, such as disinfectant devices identification, will be added, as well as additional review costs. 3.[Chinese disinfectant products] The relevant standards for relevant Chinese disinfectant products are to be issued. NHFPC (National Health and Family Planning Commission) is working to formulate or revise relevant standards for disinfection products, including the classified catalogue of disinfection products, hygienic safety evaluation, test contents, disinfecting wipes, etc. These are expected to be announced in the first half year of 2018. 4.[EU BPR]Draft guidance for identifying endocrine disruptors was issued This draft guidance for identifying endocrine disruptors which will be used to evaluate pesticides and biocides has been developed by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with the support of the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). ECHA and EFSA are inviting interested parties to comment on the draft guidance document for the identification of endocrine disruptors under EU legisl

On 17 May 2016, US EPA issued a proposal to approve an amended registration of sulfoxaflor. The amendment was made under the decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the registration of sulfoxaflor in May 2013 was not supported by evidence to demonstrate its safety to bee. EPA reevaluated the data supporting the use of sulfoxaflor and proposes fewer uses and restrictions to reduce the risk to bees. EPA reviewed the amended application from Dow AgroScience to further reduce or eliminate exposure to pollinators: Restricting post-bloom for all proposed bee-attracting crops;  

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released an updated schedule for the Pesticide Registration Review program, covering planned draft risk assessments, proposed interim decisions, and 

U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals prosecuted EPA because the EPA did not have sufficient data when it first approved sulfoxafl. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) U.S. cancels registration of products containing the insecticide sulfoxaflor On November 12, 2015.

In March, 2015, 17 experts from 11 countries met at International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, Lyon, France) to access the carcinogenicity of some pesticides including Glyphosate. The report published indicates that Glyphosate is classified as probably carcinogenic to humans. The evaluation is based on large amount of existing studies but not any new research results. Result of IARC raised a heat discussion.

The US is the world’s agricultural superpower and therefore takes the safe use of pesticides and supervision & administration of pesticides registration very seriously. It set up EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) in 1970 to safeguard the environment and human health. EPA is responsible for evaluation, suspension and withdrawal of pesticide registration and market approval. 

From the 13th to the 24th of October 2014, the US EPA GLP official Francisca E. Liem visited China where she engaged in a panel discussion with China ICAMA on GLP MAD issues.

In the United States, the overarching regulation on pesticide management is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act(FIFRA), which specifies the definition of a pesticide as: any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest, or use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, as well as any nitrogen stabilizer. On day two of the Chemical Regulatory Annual Conference, Mr. Robert Kiefer from Reach24H USA introduced the regulatory system of pesticide and antimicrobial products in the US. Overview of Requirements for US Pesticide Registration Laws and Regulations All pesticides (including imported pesticide) sold or distributed in the US are required to be registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).However, if the substance falls under the category of liquid chemical sterilizing agent, nitrogen stabilizer, human drug, animal drug, animal feeds (vitamin hormone products) or is intended to aid the growth of desirable plants, it is excluded from regulation by FIFRA. In addition, pesticides are regulated by the EPA under a series of supporting regulations. The name and EPA’s function under associated regulations are summarized as follow: Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) – requires all pesticides sold or distributed in the U.S. (including imported pesticides) to be registered by EPA Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) – requires EPA to set pesticide residue tolerances for all pesticides used in or on food Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (FQPA) – established safety criteria of “reasonable certainty of no harm”, and EPA must review pesticide registrations every 15 years Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2003 (PRIA) – established pesticide registration fees and defined Agency  timelines Regulations implementing the pesticide statutes a