Title: Danish environmental protection agency bans PFAS pesticides widely used in Australia

A Danish environmental protection agency has this month withdrawn approval of 23 pesticides because the products contain six active ingredients that can form and leach TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) into groundwater. TFA is a PFAS, or what is colloquially known as a ‘forever chemical’. All six of the active ingredients withdrawn in Denmark are currently registered for use in Australia: diflufenican, flonicamid, florasulam, fluazinam, fluopyram & mefentrifluconazol.

The APVMA has acknowledged in a recent Federal Select Committee hearing on PFAS that it is aware that some of the pesticides it has registered for use contain PFAS, or degrade into PFAS. However, the APVMA has not said which active ingredients they consider to be classed as PFAS, nor has the APVMA said if any specific PFAS classed pesticides are currently under review.

We are unable to accurately report on the hazard these registered pollutants pose, as the quantities of the pesticides now banned in Norway but currently registered for use in Australia is considered 'commercial-in-confidence' information and cannot be accessed by APRN, not even by FOI as Australia's FOI legislation protects commercially sensitive information.

APRN are of the opinion that it is not in the public interest to allow the continued registration and possible use of PFAS pesticides within Australia, especially when the extent of their use is unknown to anyone other than the industry captured APVMA, the Department of Agriculture's Secretary, and our current Minister for Agriculture, Julie Collins.

An additional problem is that all APVMA registered pesticides, even if used in industrial quantities, are currently legislatively excluded from review by the Health Department and the Environment Department.

Given that the PFAS actives now withdrawn in Norway were found to pose an inherent hazard to ground water, we believe it is in the public interest for the quantities used within Australia to be made known publicly and prompt action taken prevent further pollution and adverse human health effect

Original source (Danish, translated via Google).



Related research:

Pesticides can be a substantial source of trifluoroacetate (TFA) to water resources (2024)





Attachments:
clear pfas container pic.png
Miljøstyrelsen forbyder 23 pesticidmidler - Miljøstyrelsen.pdf
Article: WeedsNews7119 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:international policy, :WeedsNews:policy, :WeedsNews:PFAS, :WeedsNews:fluorinated pesticides
Date: 20 July 2025; 4:21:52 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid