Avadex triallate herbicide receives Annex I listing

Triallate, the active ingredient in Avadex, a grass-weed herbicide for use in wheat, barley, other cereals, sugar beet and legume crops, has received a positive listing for Annex 1 under the EU agrochemical Directive (91/414) by the EU Standing Committee on Food Chain and Animal Health.

"This positive decision for Avadex triallate inclusion into Annex 1 is good news for farmers throughout the UK. This product is a valuable tool for management of grasses resistant to other herbicides and its loss would have had serious consequences. Avadex triallate can now go forward for re-registration. UK growers will continue to have available a proven product to control grass-weeds effectively, an increasingly challenging task as many major active ingredients are falling at the registration hurdle and the problem of weed resistance expands," says Ken Simpson of Gowan Comércio, the owners of Avadex.

"Avadex, triallate has been on the market in many countries for over four decades with no development of weed resistance. Weed resistance has become a critical issue in many arable crops. It is not just the number of weed species showing various levels of resistance that is a major concern but also the expanding area in which these problems are now being identified. Having an effective herbicide with such strong anti-resistance properties will be welcomed by the industry. It has become the corner stone for cost- effective grass-weed control in cereals and a wide range of other crops." says Ken.

Gowan Comércio was confident enough in the Annex 1 inclusion to invest in advance in a new micro-encapsulated liquid formulation of Avadex. "This new liquid formulation will be much easier to use than the granule and it can be applied through conventional farm sprayers. It is already in registration tests in the UK, France and other European countries and will be introduced as soon as it is registered to replace the existing formulation. With this new formulation technology, Avadex will become a foundation product in the herbicide sector in the UK. Growers who use it at the start of the season will have greater flexibility with post-emergence treatments in resistance situations."

"The useful life of some products currently suffering from resistance problems could be prolonged by using Avadex triallate in grass control programs."

Ken Simpson notes that this most recent Annex 1 listing for triallate makes it "four out of four" active ingredients that have been submitted by Gowan and have achieved Annex 1 listing. "This is an enviable success rate from a company that has set its sights on expanding business opportunities in Europe," he concludes.