AgroPages-Argentina to ban the butyric esters of 2,4-D herbicide-Agricultural news

January 15th. Tomorrow Wednesday 16th, the open consult about the banning of the herbicide 2,4-D dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in the butyric and isobutyric esters formulation will be over. After that, the National Health and Quality Food and Agriculture Service (SENASA) will go ahead with the proceedings for the prohibition of this popular hormonal herbicide.

According to the fundamentals of the proposed resolution, the butyric and isobutyric esters formulations of the herbicide “could cause damages to crops and forest due to the high volatility”, and “also affect people and the environment”.

The SENASA also argues that the herbicide already was banned or restringed its use by six provinces of Argentina (Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santiago del Estero, Chaco, Entre Ríos y Santiago del Estero).

Immediately after the resolution comes into force, the elaboration, import and fractioning of butyric and isobutyric ester formulations of the 2,4-D will be banned. The resolution gives a year until the deadline when the use and commercialization of this herbicide will be banned too.

Companies with registers of those products must declare to Senasa their stocks in a term of 30 days after the resolution comes into force. When the prohibition is complete, companies must declare the remaining stocks.

Sources of www.eFarmNewsAr.com in the chemical industry explained that there is a huge demand of 2,4-D herbicides from the farmers. “They prefer esters formulations because they reach a better weed control, but its replacement will be easy because there are some salt formulations already in the market, including the microemulsion”, one of the sources said.

“Also, we can replace butyric ester for the ethilhexyl ester, a less volatile formulation. My doubt is if tomorrow the SENASA decides to ban this ester too. I can’t invest in a new register if I don’t know how long the product will be permitted”, a second source told to the media.