Down Garden Services

Directive 91/414/EEC Concerning The Marketing And Use Of Plant Protection Products

This part of European Union regulation has established a Pesticides Review Standing Committee which has the task of deciding which herbicides, insecticides and fungicides can be used and any restrictions to that use. Their review is ongoing and in July 2008 a further major review has listed many more pesticides which are to be withdrawn, but there have been quite a few protests from professional growers about the chemicals that will be lost - especially bulb producers.
On 5th November 2008 the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety voted for amendments to the Plant Protection Products regulation which is to replace Directive 91/414/EEC. These amendments are to change the use and remove more products which are used in horticulture, eg. if two chemicals do the same job, but one is more damaging it will have to be phased out in the next 5 years.

Some of the chemicals involved may have been used for many years, but they have not gone through the current rigorous tests which are used to check if they cause damage to animals or the environment. Due to the high cost of the tests, which must be borne by manufacturers, and doubts about safety anyway, the list has quite a large number of long used products. For some chemicals which have a low value, it is not economically viable to obtain approval so they will no longer be available, eg. Ammonium Sulphamate.

Amateur Products containing the unapproved chemicals - July 2003
The table below shows the list of products withdrawn on 25th July 2003, with a use-up period to 31st December 2003. They contain active ingredients that no longer have approval for use by amateur gardeners in plant protection. The trade names on the list may continue to be used with a different formulation of ingredients which have approval, eg. Verdone Plus became Verdone Extra (fluroxypyr, clopyralid and MCPA)
Further details and up-to-date information can be found at the Pesticide Safety Directive web-site.
Six of the chemicals involved in this list are:-
1 Dichlorprop - a selective weedkiller.
2 Dikegulac - a growth inhibitor.
3 Resmethrin - a type I pyrethroid insecticide.
4 2,3-6-TBA - a selective weedkiller.
5 Tar Acids - found in insecticide washes and disinfectants (only plant protection purposes withdrawn).
6 Triforine - a fungicide

Reg No	Product Name	Ingredient	Approval Holder
M10871	ASDA Lawn Feed Weed and Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M10872	ASDA Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M10874	ASDA Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M08137	AgrEvo Lawn Weed Killer	1	S A G
M08912	AgrEvo Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate	1	S A G
M06234	Armillatox (Plant Protection Uses Only Withdrawn)	5	Armillatox Ltd
M07850	B & Q Granular Weed and Feed for Lawns	1	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M05487	B & Q Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05486	B & Q Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05324	B & Q Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05293	B & Q Liquid Weed and Feed	1	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M06897	B & Q Nettle Gun	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M10858	B&Q Spring Lawn Care Granular Feed Weed	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Limited
M10859	B&Q Spring Lawn Care Granular Feed Weed Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M03455	Boots Nettle and Bramble Weedkiller	1	The Boots Company Plc
M07783	Cutlass	2	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M09543	Cutlass	2	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M09311	Do It All Lawn Feed & Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M08106	Do-It-All Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M08197	Do It All Wipeout! Lawn Weed Killer	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05117	Doff Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M03995	Doff Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05708	Doff Lawn Weed and Feed Soluble	1	Powder Doff Portland Ltd
M07158	Doff Nettle Gun	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05666	Doff New Formula Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M09639	Evergreen Grasshopper	1	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M05868	Fisons Ready-to-Use Lawn Weedkiller	1	Fisons Plc
M05807	Fisons Water-on Lawn Weedkiller	1	Fisons Plc
M10926	Focus Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07468	Focus Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M06096	Focus Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M06896	Focus Nettle Gun	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M08643	Grasshopper Triple Action	1	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M09785	Grasshopper Weed & Feed	1	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M08367	Great Mills Lawn Feed & Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M05014	Great Mills Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M09296	Great Mills Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M09324	Greensward Triple Action	1	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M05953	Groundclear	1	pbi Home & Garden Ltd
M07539	Homebase Lawn Weedkiller Liquid	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07536	Homebase Lawn Weedkiller Ready To Use Sprayer	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07989	Homebase Liquid Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07538	Homebase Nettle Gun	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M06432	House Plant Pest Killer	3	Vitax Ltd
M07164	J Arthur Bower's Granular Feed and Weed	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M07042	J Arthur Bower's Granular Feed, Weed and Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M09458	J Arthur Bower's Lawn Feed and Weed	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M09459	J Arthur Bower's Lawn Feed, Weed and Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M0946	0 J Arthur Bower's Lawn Weed and Mosskiller.	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M09461	J Arthur Bower's Lawn Weedkiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M04606	Jeyes Fluid (Plant Protection Uses Only Withdrawn)	5	Jeyes Ltd
M09736	Lawn Weedkiller	1	S A G
M09740	Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate	1	S A G
M07497	Levington Ready to Use Lawn Weedkiller	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M07495	Levington Water-on Lawn Weedkiller	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M05271	Murphy Clover-Kil	1	Fisons Plc
M09209	New Supertox	1	pbi Home & Garden Ltd
M07876	Nimrod T	6	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M09502	Nimrod T	6	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M08736	Roseclear 2	6	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M09498	Roseclear 2	6	The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
M02864	Touchweeder	4	Thomas Elliott Ltd
M08325	Tumbleweed Clover	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M08546	Tumbleweed Clover Ready to Use	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M08088	Tumbleweed Lawns	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M08089	Tumbleweed Lawns Ready to Use	1	Levington Horticulture Ltd
M08689	Verdone Plus	1	Miracle Garden Care Ltd
M09732	Wilko Granular Feed and Weed for Lawns	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M07471	Wilko Granular Feed, Weed and Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M09731	Wilko Granular Feed, Weed and Mosskiller for Lawns	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M08816	Wilko Lawn Feed and Weed	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M04602	Wilko Lawn Feed, Weed and Mosskiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M05130	Wilko Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07473	Wilko Lawn Weed and Feed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M03749	Wilko Lawn Weedkiller Doff	1	Portland Ltd
M06898	Wilko Nettle Gun Doff	1	Portland Ltd
M04391	Wilko Soluble Lawn Food and Weedkiller	1	William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd
M07105	Woolworths Lawn Spot Weeder	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07474	Woolworths Lawn Weed and Feed	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07064	Woolworths Lawn Weedkiller	1	Doff Portland Ltd
M07060	Woolworths Liquid Lawn Feed and Weed	1	Miracle Garden Care Ltd

October 2003 - As an addition to this list the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health has refused the re-registering of the residual herbicides Atrazine and Simazine , due to the risk of leaching to ground water. Exposure to excessive amounts of Atrazine may cause heart, lung and kidney problems as well as cancer according to studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Products containing these herbicides may continue to be available for 'essential uses'. National governments can submit bids for derogations in certain instances.
The UK bids for Atrazine and Simazine are for the production of sweetcorn, beans, forestry, rhubarb, asparagus and hardy ornamental nursery stock. Use in any other crop or situation is banned.
In the Republic of Ireland they can continue to be used until 30th June 2007 under an 'essential use' category, but in any other crop or situation, their use is now illegal. The 'essential uses' are:-
Atrazine, for forestry and maize.
Simazine - for use on potatoes, field beans, rhubarb, asparagus, soft fruit, tree fruit and ornamental/amenity.

At around the same time EU Directive 76/769/EEC ammended by Directive 94/60/EC banned the use of Creosote. Wood treated with creosote and other coal tar distillates, may NOT be used as follows:

• inside buildings, whatever their purpose

• in toys

• in playgrounds

• in parks, gardens, and outdoor recreational leisure facilities where there is a risk of frequent skin contact

• in the manufacture of garden furniture such as picnic tables,

• for the manufacture and use and any re-treatment of:
  - containers intended for growing purposes
  - packaging that may come into contact with raw materials, intermediate or finished products destined for human and/or animal consumption
  - other materials which may contaminate the products mentioned above.

This means that the use of such treated railway sleepers is severely restricted and should no longer be used in the garden unless out of reach - but which part of a garden is out of the reach of playing children? There are alternatives like hardwoods (eg. oak), pressure treated, and salt treated woods.
A derogation of the Directive allows Coal tar distillates to be used below certain concentrations by professionals in industry such as:

• on railways

• in electric power transmission and telecommunications

• for fencing

• for agricultural purposes (eg. stakes for tree support)

• in harbours and waterways

Coal tar distillates contain Benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) and water extractable phenols which are carcinogenic. The concentration of these permitted in the materials used in industry are:
BaP at a concentration of less than 0.005% by mass and water extractable phenols at a concentration of less than 3% by mass. They may only be sold in quantities greater than 20 litres to those permitted to use them, but not to ordinary consumers.
The penalties for not adhering to these rules are a fine of up to £5,000 in a Magistrates Court or an unlimited fine if convicted in a Crown Court. This link is a government release of frequently asked questions on creosote

In the UK the Health and Safety Executive give up to date information on biologically active products on their website