Extension for minor use

Content:

According to the EU Plant Protection Products Regulation it is possible to extend the use of an authorised plant protection product if you apply for an extension of a product authorisation for minor uses.

Application

It is possible to apply for an extension of a product authorisation for one or several minor uses not already included in the product authorisation. You find the rules for an extension of minor uses in Article 51 of the EU Plant Protection Products Regulation.

You can apply for an extension for minor uses if you are or if you represent

  • the authorisation holder of the product authorisation
  • an official or scientific body in the field of agriculture
  • a professional agricultural organisation
  • a professional user.

An application for an extension for minor uses must include all the documentation needed for an ordinary application for a product authorisation, except the documentation regarding efficacy, phytotoxicity and resistance. A complete dossier shall include a GAP-table and a detailed user instruction describing the intended uses.

Here you can find a template for the GAP-table to enclose with your application (docx 35kB) , 35.5 kB.

Here you can find a template for the user instruction to enclose with your application (in Swedish, docx 29kB) , 29.2 kB.

If the use applied for is similar to any of the uses already authorised, it might be possible to extrapolate from the risk assessment already performed. Extrapolation means that the risk assessment already made will also cover the minor uses applied for. In that case no additional documentation needs to be submitted. However, you must justify why no new documentation is needed.

Sometimes it is possible to extrapolate some, but not all, parts of an existing assessment. In this case, you must amend your application with the parts that cannot be extrapolated. For example, documentation on residues must be submitted if your product shall be used in another crop intended for food or feed, which cannot be extrapolated.

Use the form MIP-0023-E to apply for an extension of a product authorisation for minor uses (dotx 62 kB) , 77.1 kB.

Responsibility when using an extension for minor uses

When an extension for minor uses has been granted, the authorisation can be applied by any professional user. The use according to an extension has been assessed by the Swedish Chemical Agency as giving acceptable risks for health and the environment, like for all other authorisations. However, no assessment of the efficacy, phytotoxicity and resistance is performed when granting an UPMA. Therefore, you use a plant protection product according to an UPMA at your own risk concerning the efficacy or phytotoxicity, and are yourself responsible if the product causes any damage to your crop.

Labelling of an extension for minor uses

There are no requirements that an extension for minor uses shall be stated in the labelling of a plant protection product, namely be included on the label or in the user instructions of the product. The owner of the authorisation is requested to include the UPMA in the labelling but is not obliged to do so.

If information on the use according to an extension for minor use is included on the label or in the user instructions, you must follow those instructions.

If an extension for minor uses is not included on the label or in the user instructions, you must follow the conditions of use in the decision regarding the extension, in combination with the other information in the labelling. You can find all decisions in the Pesticides Register on our website (please see the link at the bottom of this page).

Mutual recognition for an extension for minor uses

It is also possible to apply for a mutual recognition of an extension for minor uses if the use is authorised in another member state (reference country). However, this is only possible if the plant protection product is already authorised in Sweden and if the use is minor also in Sweden. Furthermore, the agricultural conditions must be comparable between the reference country and Sweden. This means that you may need to submit additional documentation to demonstrate that the conditions are comparable.

What are minor uses?

A ‘minor use’ means use of a plant protection product on plants or plant products which are not widely grown in Sweden or widely grown but to meet an exceptional plant protection need.

The number of possible combinations of crops and pests is huge. For guidance of what could be considered as a minor use it is possible to get a list of all current decisions of UPMAs. You get the list by searching in our database Pesticides Register. Please search for “UPMA” and ”Alla”. The list resulting from your search can be exported to an Excel-file.

Go to the Pesticides Register External link. (in Swedish)

There is also a list of major crops and pests which can serve as a guidance of uses that are not considered as minor. Please note, that all other uses not on the list are not automatically considered as minor.

List over crops grown in a large scale (pdf 902 kB) , 902.5 kB.


Last published 16 February 2022