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Plant protection products, biocides, fertilisers and macro-organisms

Plant protection products and biocides are used by professionals and individuals on harmful organisms to destroy, deter or render them harmless. Before they can be placed on the market, the Agency is responsible for assessing the effectiveness of these products and the risks associated with their use. It also assesses fertilisers, growing media and macro-organisms.

Our actions

Regarding marketing authorisations, these are issued on the basis of the findings of the scientific risk assessment, by ANSES for plant protection products, fertilisers and growing media and their adjuvants, and also for biocides.

The Agency also monitors residues of these products in food and the environment, and the emergence of resistance to these products. 

Decryption

Assessment of plant protection products
15/09/2025

Assessment of plant protection products

Plant protection products are formulations intended to protect plants and plant products.These products must obtain authorisation before they can be placed on the market, on the basis of a scientific…
17/01/2025

Twenty questions about ANSES and the authorisation of plant protection products

ANSES is responsible for examining authorisation applications for plant protection products. What exactly does this work involve? How does it fit into the French and European framework? The answers to…
03/04/2024

Facilitating access to biocontrol solutions: products and macro-organisms

Biocontrol is one way of facilitating the substitution of synthetic plant protection products by alternatives. Although they are of natural origin, these solutions still have to be scientifically…
24/03/2024

Review of the Agency’s work on glyphosate

Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicidal active substance used on plants in agricultural, forested and non-agricultural areas. Its approval in the European Union was renewed at the end of 2023. As…
12/12/2023

Why is it important to limit our use of biocidal chemicals?

Disinfectants, insecticides, repellents – in our daily lives, we use chemical products known as “biocides” that can be toxic to our health and the environment. Sometimes, they are used excessively and…
05/01/2023

Marketing authorisation of fertilisers, fertiliser adjuvants and growing media

ANSES assesses fertilisers, their adjuvants and growing media before they can be placed on the market. Based on the findings of the assessment, the Agency approves them or not. The assessment is based…
18/06/2021

What are the health issues and environmental challenges presented by herbicide-tolerant varieties?

Herbicide-tolerant varieties (HTVs) are crop varieties that have been developed to be intentionally tolerant to specific herbicids. In France, HTVs of sunflower and rapeseed have been growing in…
09/04/2021

Masks treated with biocidal products: a review of regulations

Some of the masks used against COVID-19 are treated with substances designed to protect the wearer against micro-organisms, and particularly the COVID-19 virus. Here is a review of the situation in…
28/10/2020

ANSES's recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of hand sanitisers

Alcohol-based gels and solutions used as hand sanitisers are disinfectants designed to remove bacteria or viruses from healthy skin. They are biocidal products, and as such are subject to the European…
21/10/2020

Biocidal products

Biocidal products are substances or preparations intended to destroy, deter or render harmless pest organisms such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, rodents, insects, etc. These products can have a…
16/10/2020

Neonicotinoids

Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticidal substances. The use of neonicotinoid products in agriculture has raised concerns in many countries, primarily because of their effects on pollinating insects…
02/07/2020

Contamination of air by pesticides

Air pollution caused by pesticides is one of the components of atmospheric pollution. However, it is still less well documented than the contamination of water or food by these same substances. There…

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