Brazil Anvisa opens public consultation on insecticide sulfoxaflor

 

The Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) opened a public consultation on the active ingredient Sulfoxaflor (S19) in the last week of last month. This insecticide was discovered by Dow AgroSciences, being a member of a new class of insecticides (called sulfoximines) that is effective against a wide range of insect pests that feed on plant sap.

 

The public consultation, number 571, was launched through the publication of the ordinance in the Official Gazette of the Union of November 23, 2018 by GGTOX (General Management of Toxicology) of Anvisa. The text opens the possibility of including Sulfoxaflor-based insecticides in the "List of Monographs of Active Ingredients for Agrochemicals, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preserving", which is the official list of products authorized for use in Brazil.

 

With this publication, Anvisa resolves to submit to public consultation, for comments and suggestions from the general public, the proposal deliberated at a meeting held on November 13, 2018 for a period of 30 (thirty) days. The interested parties therefore had a deadline of 23 December to present criticisms and suggestions regarding the proposal to include the active ingredient S19.

 

Due to the potential impact on pollinator populations (especially bees), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has canceled applications for sulfoxaflor-based product registrations in that country. In 2016, the EPA backed off on its decision and again approved the active ingredient for some defensive, but for fewer crops.

 

Anvisa also stressed that "it may, as necessary and for reasons of convenience and opportunity, liaise with the organs and entities involved and those who have expressed interest in the matter to subsidize subsequent technical discussions." The final decision will be made by Anvisa's Board of Directors at the end of the process.