On August 28, China ICAMA issued the 7th batch of pesticides to be approved in 2020, consisting of 4 novel active ingredients. Bayer’s Tetraniliprole was proposed for the control of Spodoptera exigua on cabbage and Mitsui’s Broflanilide was proposed by BASF, targeting Plutella xylostella and Phyllotreta vittata Fabricius on cabbage and Chinese cabbage.

Disinfection products refer to a sort of disease-preventing products that eliminate pathogenic microorganisms and block the transmission through chemical, physical and biological methods. The Chinese “Measures for the Control of Disinfection” classifies disinfection products into disinfectant, disinfecting apparatus and sanitary products.

On August 24, the Korean Ministry of Environment issued the Notification 2020-182 to amend the list of existing biocidal substances subject to deferred approval. South Korea enacted the “Act on the Safety Management of Household Chemical Products and Biocides(K-BPR)” in 2018, requiring manufacturers and importers of biocidal substance to obtain a substance approval from the Ministry. Biocidal substances used in biocidal products or treated articles placed in Korea before December 31, 2018, are allowed to be designated as “existing biocidal substances subject to deferred approval” and manufactured or imported without obtaining the approval within their grace period if their producers and manufacturers fulfilled reporting and submission obligations: Notify MoE the basic information on the substance before June 30, 2019, including name, trade name and use type, etc.; Submit to the MoE the plan for the application of substance approval within 1 year after the substance being designated as the existing substance. For substance manufactured or imported by multiple companies, the plan shall be submitted separately and one of the companies can be selected as the representative of data submitter for the joint submission. The data can also be used by other applicants not yet participate in the joint submission through MoE’s data compensation system. If the manufacturer or importer failed to submit the plan or application for substance approval, the notified substance will be deemed as difficult to submit the data within the grace period and manufacturer or importer will be prohibited from business activities. If all manufacturers and importers of the substance were prohibited, the designation of the substance will be canceled. On December 31, 2019, MoE issued the Notification 2019-249 and a total of 741 substances were designated as the existing substances. The chemical name, CAS number, use type, grace period, and notifying co

On August 4, 2020, the General Office of the National Health Commission released the final notice regarding the enhanced regulation of disinfection products during the Covid-19 control, which was consulted early on June 19. Apart from the aims of resuming normal record-filing management of non-new disinfectants and ensure the safety and effectiveness of disinfection products produced in China and intensifying the ex-post surveillance of disinfection products already been placed on the market, the emergently placed disinfectants will have a longer transitional period to complete the normal record-filing procedures until December 31, 2020.

China approved 474 pesticides during the first half of 2020, of which 445 are agricultural pesticides and 29 are hygiene pesticides, representing a bounce back from H1 2019 of only 99 pesticides. The number of pesticides approved down sharply in 2019 due to the new data requirement enacted. It is unlikely to see a return to the heady numbers in 2017 and 2018.

On August 4, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs released the Announcement 321 to designate 11 testing institutes for pesticide registration and amend the non-technical matters of 9 labs designated previously.

On July 9th, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply(MAPA) released the ministerial Act 39 on the Official Gazette, announcing the registration of 21 technical grade active ingredients including Dicamba, Bifenthrin, Azoxystrobin, Diquat, Cyproconazole, Mesotrione, Tebuconazole, Thiamethoxam and Imidacloprid.

On July 15, 2020, the US EPA released new guidance clarifying the number of treatment concentrations needed for acceptable fish bioconcentration factor (BCF) studies in pesticide registration process. The number of concentration levels can be reduced from three (two positive doses and one control) to two (one positive level and one control), which would save 240 test animals per year.