What is a Plant Protection Product (PPP)?

A Plant Protection Product (PPP) is a formulation which is designed to protect plants from damaging influences such as weeds, diseases or insects. It includes herbicides, fungicides among others.

What is a fungicide?

Chemicals used to kill or halt the development of fungi that cause plant disease. Fungicides are used to control parasitic fungi that cause economic damage to crops, damage to ornamental plants or endanger the health of domestic animals or humans.

What is a fungicide formulation?

Most fungicides are solids that are not soluble in water. To use them, they must be made into a formulation (preparation). Most agricultural and horticultural fungicides are applied as sprays or dusts with several other ingredients apart from the fungicide chemical itself (the active ingredient)

What is a rainfastness?

Rainfastness is the ability of a formulation to withstand wash-off from rainfall. Poor rainfastness will increase the wash-off of the active ingredients and may lead to attack by fungi and other pests as well as waste of product and unwanted environmental impacts. 

How can we enhance rainfastness?

Adjuvants are added into crop protection formulations to improve the rainfastness and penetrative effectiveness of the active ingredients when sprayed onto the crop surface. Adjuvants help the product adhere to the crop surface by their ability to form films upon drying or by their high viscosity at rest. 

What are the relevant Irish and EU laws relating to fungicides and other PPPs?

The main Irish legislation is:

• S.I. 155 of 2012 - European Communities (Sustainable Use of Pesticides) Regulations 2012

• S.I. 159 of 2012 - European Communities (Plant Protection Products) Regulations 2012

The main European legislation is the Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. (This replaced Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC).