The UAE has issued a new decree prohibiting the distribution of pesticides without proper registration from the Ministry of Environment and Water.

The Minister of Environment and Water, Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, introduced the new resolutions with amendments over governing of the registration and importation of pesticides.

Furthermore, under the new resolution, banned pesticides cannot be registered or imported into the state. Also companies will be barred from using pesticides without prior approval, said a statement from the Ministry.

Once approved, the authority will issue a certificate of registration valid for five years or until the expiry of the certificate issued by the country of origin, it said.

The resolution also forbids usage of similar brand names for registered pesticides or labelling the product after its active ingredient.

Under the new rules, the local label of the registered product should also match the data provided in the label issued by the country of origin. In addition, the certificate cannot be assigned and transferred to other entities, it added.  

The ministry warned that an application for registration could be revoked or rejected based on the following grounds:  incomplete or incorrect information and documents; non-renewal of certificate of registration by the country of origin; the product’s ineffectiveness as shown by existing studies; and if found harmful to the environment, human health, animals and plants, said the statement.

In case of cancellation of registration or banning, the concerned company must withdraw the pesticide from the market and re-export it within 90 days after the date of issuance of the ban order or cancelation of the product registration, it added.

The decree also requires obtaining the necessary licence from relevant authorities before pesticides are imported or exported, said the Ministry of Environment and Water in its statement.

Companies importing pesticides are mandated to secure prior permission from the ministry even before the arrival of their products to any of the country’s ports.

Additionally, the rules states that registered pesticides must be sold in their original closed package without opening the containers.

Local authorities have the right to reject the imported products in case of non-compliance with the set requirements and return the same to the country of origin at the expense of the importer, who will also face fines based on the assessed value of the consignment, it added. – TradeArabia News Service