EU Approves AI in Stockton Group’s Timorex
28 April 2014 
Registering crop protection products in Europe is a complex process. Photo credit: Flickr user R/DV/RS. Creative Commons license.
The European Union has approved the active ingredient in Timorex Gold, a biofungicide developed by Israel-based Stockton Group.
Stockton Group states that the product can control downy and powdery mildew, early and late blight, rust and Cercospora in crops such as cucurbits, tomatoes, peppers, grapes, potatoes, herbs, carrots, strawberries, coffee and rice.
According to the company website, its mode of action is to penetrate plant tissue via fungus spores on leaves, infiltrate the fungus cell membranes, disperse the cytoplasm and asphyxiate the mitochondria.
Stockton Group states it can be used alone or in tank-mix.
Stockton Group reported in a press release that the EU has decided that the active ingredient in the product is admissible into Annex I of the Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR). Annex I is a list of approved active substances in the EU. Annex II sets out EU dossier preparation requirements. Stockton Group reported that its next step will be to complete the extensive testing and documentation requirements listed in Annex III of the BPR, a process predicted to take three more years.
“This is a significant confirmation of our product’s platform, paving the way for the flow of our new and innovative products and for sustainable crop protection. Very few companies attempt to obtain these EU certifications because of the high hurdle involved, and the long, very complex and expensive process. More than that, even fewer companies are successful because of the knowledge and level required. European market certification is extremely important for our product, and we anticipate a great commercial future for our product in this significant market,” Stockton Group CEO Ziv Tirosh said in a press release.
Stockton Group said in a press release that upon final approval, the active ingredient will be valid for use in the EU for 10 years.
The product is currently used in many countries in Central and South America, Australia, Canada, the Philippines and Serbia, according to a press release.
Groups like the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) are currently in favor of overhauling the current EU regulatory climate which it judges to be anti-innovation and excessive.
Get The Newsletter Today!
