Plant protection products that have not been authorised may not be advertised. This means that anyone wishing to advertise a product must obtain an authorisation from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency before publication/dissemination of advertisements and PR materials featuring the relevant plant protection product.
Requirements for advertisements
All forms of advertisement must be accompanied by certain phrases. “Advertisement” is defined as a means of promoting the sale or use of plant protection products (to anyone other than the authorisation holder, the person placing the plant protection product on the market and their agents) by printed or electronic media. This covers all printed media, including promotional material, advertising on the internet (including websites and advertisements on search engines), as well as advertising via SMS or MMS.
The requirements that an advertisement for an authorised plant protection product must meet are as follows:
- Display of standard phrases
- Advertising and promotional material must always be accompanied by the phrases: “Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use.”
- These sentences must be easily legible and clearly distinguishable in relation to the whole advertisement. The words “plant protection products” may be replaced by a more precise description of the type of product, e.g. fungicide, insecticide or herbicide.
- Display of warning phrases and symbols
- Advertising and promotional material must include the appropriate warning phrases and symbols as laid down in the labelling.
- The appropriate warning phrases and symbols consist of the hazard symbols and risk phrases (R phrases) as specified on the label for the authorised plant protection product. The hazard symbols and risk phrases appearing in the advertisement or promotional material must be legible and, if relevant, must be clearly displayed in visual form on the advertisement/promotional material.
- If an advertisement is broadcasted via SMS, warning phrases and symbols can only be specified in text form. For advertising via MMS, the relevant warning symbols must be included in visual form.
Advertising must not be misleading
The advertisement, whether printed or digital, must not contain information in text or graphic form which could be misleading as regards risks to human or animal health or to the environment in connection with the use of the product. There must also be technical justification for all statements used in advertising.
This means that statements such as “low-risk”, “non-toxic”, “not harmful”, “not dangerous”, “no labelling obligation”, “tested for...” (e.g. allergies), “not harmful to health”, “authorised”, “eco-”, “nature”, “bio” or combinations of these may not be used in the advertising of the plant protection product.
In addition, the advertisement must not include visual representations of potentially dangerous practices in the handling of the plant protection product, such as mixing or application without sufficient protective clothing, use near food or in the vicinity of children.
Advertising low-risk plant protection products
When advertising a low-risk plant protection product, the words “authorised as low-risk plant protection product in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009” may be used. However, these words must not be used as a claim on the product label.
Where to find the regulations
Article 66 of the Plant Protection Products Regulation lays down the requirements that must be met when advertising a plant protection product