China to restrict paraquat

According to Announcement No.1744 of the Ministry of Agriculture of China issued on 24th, April 2012, China has decided to implement a restrictive measure on paraquat product to ensure the safety for production and use of paraquat.

Hence approval of new plants for producing paraquat technical concentration and formulation production is ceased. Applications for field trial, registration and production permit of paraquat technical concentration and aqueous solution are also terminated.

From 1 July 2014, paraquat aqueous solution registration and production permit shall be cancelled while technical concentration aqueous solution registration is maintained only for export purpose. Sales and use of aqueous solution product in China shall be terminated from 1 July 2016.

Furthermore, paraquat producers are requested to apply for a re-check of labels, changing documents of pesticide registration and production permit. Labels shall add information such as first-aid telephone numbers and warning notices; pesticide registration certificate and the initial approval documents shall add name of technical concentration producers, etc.

Pesticide registration and approval documents which are not amended shall not be maintained after 1 January 2013. Products are not relabeled shall not be allowed for sale; products with initial labels which are already on sale can be sold until 31 December 2013.

The Announcement requests all producers to strictly follow the standards for production of paraquat to ensure product quality with sufficient quantity of emetic, odorant and colorant; aftersales service such as paraquat use-directive and first-aid instruction shall be enhanced; the use of small opening diameter packaging bottle to be accompanied with necessary medical-purpose active carbon is encouraged.