(1)

Commission Directive 2007/6/EC (2) included metrafenone as an active substance in Annex I to Council Directive 91/414/EEC (3).

(2)

Active substances included in Annex I to Directive 91/414/EEC are deemed to have been approved under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and are listed in Part A of the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 (4).

(3)

The approval of the active substance metrafenone, as set out in Part A of the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011, expires on 15 December 2024.

(4)

An application for the renewal of the approval of the active substance metrafenone was submitted to Latvia, the rapporteur Member State, and Slovakia, the co-rapporteur Member State, in accordance with Article 1 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 844/2012 (5) and within the time period provided for in that Article.

(5)

The applicant submitted the supplementary dossiers required to the rapporteur Member State, the co-rapporteur Member State, the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) in accordance with Article 6 of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 844/2012. The application was found to be admissible by the rapporteur Member State.

(6)

The rapporteur Member State prepared a draft renewal assessment report in consultation with the co-rapporteur Member State and submitted it to the Authority and the Commission on 30 October 2018. In its draft renewal assessment report, the rapporteur Member State proposed to renew the approval of metrafenone.

(7)

The Authority made the supplementary summary dossier available to the public. The Authority also circulated the draft renewal assessment report to the applicant and to the Member States for comments and launched a public consultation on it. The Authority forwarded the comments received to the Commission.

(8)

On 29 November 2019, the Authority requested additional information on the endocrine disrupting properties of metrafenone pursuant to Article 13(3a) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 844/2012. The applicant submitted the requested information required in order to determine whether metrafenone fulfils the criteria for identifying the endocrine disrupting properties of an active substance set out in point 3.8.2 of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.

(9)

In June 2022, the rapporteur Member State made the updated draft renewal assessment report available to the Authority, the Member States and the Commission. In its updated draft renewal assessment report, the rapporteur Member State considered the additional information regarding the endocrine disrupting properties of metrafenone, and still proposes, in light of that information, to renew the approval of metrafenone.

(10)

On 18 April 2023, the Authority communicated to the Commission its conclusion (6), indicating that, taking into account the approval criteria laid down in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, plant protection products with metrafenone can be expected to meet the approval criteria provided for in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009.

(11)

The Commission presented a draft renewal report on the 13 October 2023 and a draft of this Regulation to the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed on 11 December 2023.

(12)

The Commission invited the applicant to submit its comments on the conclusion of the Authority and, in accordance with Article 14(1), third subparagraph, of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 844/2012, on the renewal report. The applicant submitted its comments, which have been carefully examined and taken into consideration.

(13)

It has been established with respect to one or more representative uses of at least one plant protection product containing the active substance metrafenone that the approval criteria provided for in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 are satisfied.

(14)

It is therefore appropriate to renew the approval of metrafenone.

(15)

In accordance with Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 in conjunction with Article 6 thereof and in the light of current scientific and technical knowledge and the outcome of the risk assessment, it is, however, necessary to provide for certain conditions. It is, in particular, appropriate to require further confirmatory information.

(16)

Specifically, in order to increase the confidence in the conclusion that metrafenone does not have endocrine disrupting properties, the applicant should provide an updated assessment, in accordance with point 2.2(b) of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009, of the criteria laid down in point 3.8.2 of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and in accordance with the guidance for the identification of endocrine disruptors (7), to confirm the absence of endocrine activity concerning the T-modality of non-target organisms other than mammals, including the information already submitted, an additional XETA study (8) and, where relevant, further information. Furthermore, to increase the confidence in the conclusion that the metabolites CL 1500834 and CL 3000402 do not have genotoxic properties, the applicant should provide an updated assessment of their genotoxicity.

(17)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(18)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/689 (9) extends the approval period of metrafenone to 15 December 2024 in order to allow the renewal process to be completed before the expiry of the approval period of that active substance. However, given that a decision on renewal has been taken ahead of that extended expiry date, this Regulation should apply earlier than that date.

(19)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,