France : New order on the list of authorised uses for sport equipments and publication of the Anses opinion

Following the public consultation conducted between May and June, the French Ministry of Ecological Transition published the Order of 10 July 2026. This text follows the Order of 10 January 2025 and sets out the list of uses of plant protection products (PPPs) for which no alternative technical solution can provide the quality required for official competitions in sports facilities or parts thereof.

• The six uses relating to the treatment of grass turf (weed control, diseases and pests) benefit from a further 24-month exemption, extending the scheme until 1 July 2028.
• The deadline for finalising the roadmap to stop the use of PPPs has been set for 31 July 2026. This work will now focus directly on the owners and managers of sports facilities.
• The Ministry in charge of sport will review and update annually the list of sports facilities benefiting from the exemption.

At the same time, ANSES published its scientific opinion (referral No. 2025-SA-0042). Commissioned to rank authorised PPPs from the most concerning to the least concerning (based on their active substances and application rates), ANSES calculated risk indicators for both human health and the environment, covering birds, mammals, earthworms, aquatic organisms, bees and groundwater. For each risk indicator, the PPPs were ranked according to their score.

ANSES excluded PPPs containing cyprodinil, fludioxonil and fenoxaprop-P from its assessment. Their marketing authorisations are expected to be withdrawn due to their endocrine-disrupting properties. The agency also raises concerns about DEDICATE, whose active substance (tebuconazole) is the subject of a proposed harmonised classification as a Category 1B reprotoxicant by ECHA. However, this proposed harmonised classification has not yet been published in a regulation.

In conclusion, ANSES emphasises that while risk indicators are a simple and appropriate tool for comparing and ranking products, they cannot replace the quantitative risk assessments carried out as part of standard marketing authorisation applications.

To download (in French): 

Order of 10 July 2026 setting the list of uses of plant protection products for which no alternative technical solution can achieve the required quality in the context of official competitions for sports facilities or parts of sports facilities

ANSES Opinion on the list of chemical plant protection products authorised on sports facilities as of January 1, 2025

See also our previous articles: 

FRANCE: Public consultation on the extension of the order on the list of authorised uses for sport equipments

FRANCE: List of sports equipment covered by the exemption of the ban on the use of plant protection products

FRANCE: List of authorised uses for sport equipments

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