Endocrine-disrupting pesticide: ban of the product Pitcher obtained by PAN Europe in the Netherlands

The highest Dutch administrative court has ruled that the pesticide formulation Pitcher, used on fruit, vegetables and flowers, containing the endocrine-disrupting substance fludioxonil needs to be banned as soon as possible, in a verdict issued on 11 August 2026, according to PAN Europe, which brought the case in 2019.

This ruling followed the Dutch court’s review of a 2024 preliminary ruling by the EU Court of Justice (CJEU), which clarified that pesticide authorities have to base decisions on recent scientific findings.

In 2019, PAN Europe objected to the authorisation of the product Pitcher in the Netherlands granted by the Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (CTGB). PAN Europe was notably criticising the CTGB for failing to take into account…