The 19th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee (CRC-19) of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade was held in Rome, Italy from October 3 to 6, 2023.

    According to the convention meeting briefing, at the CRC-19 meeting held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the committee reviewed the final regulatory action notifications for herbicides, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, arsenic pentoxide, ethion, mercury, chlorpyrifos, and sulfamethox.

    The Committee believes that notifications of chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos, arsenic pentoxide, and mercury meet the standards set out in Annex II of the Convention. After receiving at least two notifications of final regulatory actions that meet the standards from two different prior informed consent regions, the committee recommends listing chlorpyrifos and mercury in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. At present, CRC experts will begin to develop draft decision guidance documents to coordinate the review of these chemicals by the Conference of the Parties, the regulatory body of the Convention.

    The 20th meeting of the Chemical Review Committee will continue to review the final regulatory action notices on carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, ethion, chlorpyrifos, and sulfamethox.

    CRC experts also reviewed and approved the draft decision guidance document on paraquat and bromomethane, and decided to forward it for consideration at the next Conference of the Parties (COP-2025).