Argentina's Senasa accepts equivalencies of agrochemicals approved in other countries

Date:07-05-2024

Argentina's Senasa (National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality) has issued two resolutions to facilitate the use of products already approved in other countries. 

Resolution Senasa 694/2024 recognized equivalencies for active phytosanitary substances approved by the United States, Mexico, European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.

The new Argentine regulation included both chemical and biochemical active substances of phytosanitary products. The Argentine government body argued that these measures deregulated and simplified procedures.

"The regulation establishes the conditions and requirements to request the recognition of equivalence of technical-grade active substances approved by the competent authorities" of other countries, Senasa stated.

The resolution is recognized as equivalent in those cases where the technical-grade active substance to be registered comes from the same manufacturing establishment and has a minimum purity equal to or higher than that registered in the mentioned countries.

On the other hand, the organization allowed the possibility of pausing the registration procedures for phytosanitary products. Resolution 693/2024 established the deadlines for the expiration of procedures linked to administrative expirations.

This measure covered the registrations of phytosanitary products and gave the administrator the possibility to pause a procedure initiated in the Directorate of Agrochemicals and Biologicals of the National Directorate of Plant Protection. This request could be made up to four times. It would be possible as long as the number of paused days did not exceed 730 consecutive and accumulated days.

"All actions by Senasa and the administration linked to the process will be suspended until it decides to continue it through its reactivation. For this, you must choose to reactivate the process," indicated the agency. Senasa explained that, after these instances, if the registration process remained incomplete or incorrect, the Directorate would declare ex officio and, without further processing, its expiration, and the process will be definitively filed.

"These changes, developed based on the work carried out with the Secretariat of Simplification of the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, aimed to improve efficiency, streamline procedures, and reduce management times," Senasa indicated.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)