The importance of phenmedipham for European agriculture: a determination of essential uses for post-emergence weed control in sugar beet

Abstract

Abstract Phenmedipham has been used for weed management in European sugar beet for decades and is undergoing renewal evaluation. We evaluated its agronomic importance to demonstrate its critical role in European agriculture. Systematic evaluation across eight EU Member States representing 85% of European sugar beet cultivation area demonstrated that zero alternative herbicides were shortlisted despite 9–17 authorized active substances. EFSA exclusion criteria eliminated all alternatives based on insufficient selectivity, incompatible application timing, lack of foliar contact activity, or inadequate weed spectrum coverage. Phenmedipham provided unique broad-spectrum efficacy against priority species. Danish field trials showed control strategies without phenmedipham resulted in 26% weed coverage versus 3% with phenmedipham, causing 7% yield losses; German trials demonstrated up to 30% efficacy reduction when phenmedipham was omitted; French surveys documented inadequate Chenopodium album control without phenmedipham, particularly under dry spring conditions when soil-active alternatives fail. Economic analysis demonstrated alternative strategies increase costs by 40–100%, while achieving only 60–85% efficacy versus > 95% for phenmedipham-based Foliar-Activator-Radicular systems. In conclusion, phenmedipham meets stringent EFSA criteria for Essential Use as the only broad-spectrum foliar-active herbicide for post-emergence weed control in European sugar beet. No chemical alternative possesses comparable efficacy, and non-chemical methods cannot achieve > 95% control at economically viable costs. Withdrawal would threaten yield stability (15–25% losses), accelerate resistance evolution, impose €120–375 million annual cost increases, compromise viability for 100,000 + growers, and threaten 24,000 rural processing jobs. Maintaining phenmedipham access is critical for sustaining effective weed management and European sugar beet production sustainability.