Key facts
- A new study links the EU-approved fungicide fluazinam to potential brain development effects in rat offspring.
- Regulators are reviewing the findings on fluazinam.
- A UK watchdog found the government breached environmental law.
- The breaches involved granting emergency authorizations for a banned pesticide.
- The banned pesticide is a neonicotinoid.
- The pesticide was authorized for use on sugar beet crops.
- The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was found to have breached the law.
- The breaches occurred on four occasions.
A recent study has linked fluazinam, a fungicide that has received approval within the European Union, to potential negative impacts on brain development in rat offspring. These findings are prompting a review of the pesticide's market approval and its ongoing use. Regulators are currently examining the study's implications.
In a separate development concerning pesticide regulation, a UK watchdog has concluded that the government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) acted unlawfully. The watchdog found that Defra breached environmental law on four separate occasions. These breaches involved granting emergency authorizations for a neonicotinoid pesticide that is otherwise banned. The pesticide was intended for use on sugar beet crops.