Bayer's Requiem biological insecticide step closer to EU market entry

Bayer CropScience said on Monday that it has reached a milestone on the path to market introduction of its biological insecticide, Requiem, in Europe.

Requiem's active ingredient, Terpenoid Blend QRD 460, recently has been approved by the European Commission. The product provides population control of sucking pests to provide for better quality in harvested produce.

First registrations of Requiem are expected in some European countries before the end of 2016. A formal market launch in Europe is planned for 2017.

This is the first time an active Bayer substance has gained approval under new EU regulation 1107/2009, which is designed to ensure high levels of protection of both human and animal health and the environment, while improving agricultural production. “The harmonization for the authorization of plant-protection products within the EU will help us provide growers across Europe with innovative tools like Requiem,"  Nick Wright, Bayer's global regulatory manager of biologicals, said.

The product is intended for use as foliar insecticide and acaricide in spray programs, as a stand-alone or together with chemical crop-protection products. In addition to its efficacy level, it offers growers flexible use rates and flexible application timing. It is exempt from maximum residue levels (MRLs), is IPM-compatible, has a short re-entry interval and has no pre-harvest interval.