How do I use the EU Pesticides Database to look up a pesticide active substance's approval status, expiry date, MRLs and hazard data under Regulation (EC) 1107/2009 and Regulation (EC) 396/2005, and what French sources (E-Phy, OFB C3PO) add for products authorised in France?

Search the EU Pesticides Database by active-substance name. It returns three things: the approval record under Reg. 1107/2009 (status, approval date, expiry date and the regulations behind them), the MRLs under Reg. 396/2005 (one value per food code), and the toxicological reference values. For a product sold in France, E-Phy shows the product authorisation itself (AMM number, authorised uses, French conditions of use, product hazard class). OFB's C3PO puts the EU status, CLP/AGRITOX hazards, reference values (VTR), PNECs and French sales flags for each substance on one sheet. Glyphosate is used below as the worked example.

Approach: I checked glyphosate in the EU Pesticides Database (approval register, MRL export, emergency authorisations), Reg. 1107/2009 and 396/2005, CLP Annex VI, EFSA OpenFoodTox, ANSES E-Phy, ANSES's decision register, the BNV-D sales data and OFB C3PO (edition V1.7, 19 May 2026). I don't describe the website's screens beyond what these records show.

1. Approval status and expiry (Reg. 1107/2009)

Each active substance has one record with its own ID (glyphosate is AS_ID 811). The record covers approved, not approved and pending substances. Fields to read:

• Status: Approved.
• Approval date: 16 Dec 2023. Expiry date: 15 Dec 2033.
• Function code: HB (herbicide).
• Full legislative trail: from 01/99/EC through Reg. (EU) 2023/2660 and Reg. (EU) No 540/2011 ^[1].

On the expiry date:

• If a renewal decision can't be reached in time for reasons outside the applicant's control, Article 17 lets the Commission postpone expiry by regulation. Check the regulation list for these extension acts rather than relying on the original expiry date ^[2].
• The database also holds national Article 53 emergency authorisations (up to 120 days) ^[3]. You can filter these by Member State. For France, for example: AVADEX FACTOR (tri-allate) on winter barley, valid 23 Sep 2026 to 21 Jan 2027 ^[4].

2. MRLs (Reg. 396/2005)

The MRL export has one row per substance and Annex I product code. Each row gives:

• the MRL value;
• an LOQ flag (the asterisk);
• the regulation that set the value, and its date of application.

Example: glyphosate in apples (code 0130010) is 0.1 mg/kg, flagged at LOQ, set by Reg. (EU) 293/2013 (CELEX 32013R0293) and applicable from 6 Apr 2013 ^[5].

Where no specific MRL exists, Article 18 sets a default of 0.01 mg/kg, unless the substance is in Annex IV or has a different Annex V default ^[6].

3. Hazard and toxicological reference data

• Reference values in the database: the acute operator value (AAOEL) for glyphosate is 0.3 mg/kg bw, sourced to Reg. (EU) 2023/2660. C3PO mirrors this figure ^[7].
• EFSA 2023 conclusion (doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2023.8164) ^[8]:
  • ADI 0.5 mg/kg bw/day
  • ARfD 1.5 mg/kg bw/day (it was 0.5 in 2015)
  • AOEL 0.1 mg/kg bw/day
  • AAOEL 0.3 mg/kg bw/day
• Harmonised classification: the database doesn't give one. Use CLP Annex VI. Glyphosate (index 607-315-00-8) is Eye Dam. 1 (H318) and Aquatic Chronic 2 (H411), current under ATP22 ^[9][10].

4. What the French sources add

ANSES E-Phy (product level)

• This is the national product register that Article 57 of 1107/2009 requires Member States to publish (holder, AMM number, composition, classification, authorised uses, withdrawal reasons; updated at least every 3 months) ^[11].
• Example: GLISTER ULTRA 360 (AMM 2150140, Sinon EU GmbH, a generic product) is authorised at 360 g/L glyphosate, first authorised 12 Aug 2015, with 9 authorised uses.
• The record carries France-only use conditions that the EU data doesn't have. Annual glyphosate caps include 900 g/ha in orchards, 450 g/ha in vines, 1,080 g/ha on intercrops, and 2,160 g/ha where mechanical weeding isn't possible.
• It also gives the product classification (H411, Aquatic Chronic 2).
• ANSES's decision register adds the decision history, for example a glyphosate technical-equivalence decision of 25 Feb 2015 ^[12].

OFB C3PO (substance level, eight tables)

• Identification: maps names and identifiers across E-Phy, AGRITOX, the CLP ATP, the EU Pesticides Database (ID 811) and Sandre (parameter 1506). It also lists the salt variants E-Phy uses ^[13].
• Regulatory status: repeats the EU approval and expiry dates, the rapporteur Member State (AGG), the legislation in force versus repealed, and the countries where products are authorised, with an explicit "authorised in France: yes" ^[14].
• Hazards: AGRITOX and ATP classifications side by side (both H318/H411), plus the "Env A" flag ^[15].
• PNEC: 100 µg/L for glyphosate, from a fish chronic NOEC of 1,000 µg/L with a safety factor of 10 ^[16].
• Category listings: low-risk, candidate for substitution, organic, biocontrol and EAJ, with the AMM numbers of products listed under EAJ ^[17].
• Year-by-year RPD classification: for example, Env A in 2019 ^[18].

BNV-D Traçabilité (ANSES)

• Gives annual sales (2008–2024) and purchases (2013–2024) by AMM number and substance. Example: 2024 purchases of 14,128.8 for AMM 2230192, classed Env A ^[19].

Practical lookup order

1. Find the substance: search the EU Pesticides Database by name or CAS number, note its ID, and read the status, approval and expiry dates, and the regulation list (watch for Article 17 extension acts).
2. Check MRLs: pull the MRL rows for the food codes you need, noting the LOQ flag and the setting regulation. Where nothing is listed, the Article 18 0.01 mg/kg default applies.
3. Get hazard data: reference values from the database and EFSA's conclusion; classification from CLP Annex VI.
4. Switch to the French layer: use C3PO's identification table to translate the substance ID and CAS into E-Phy's name variants. Then search E-Phy for products (filter to currently authorised) and read their uses and French conditions. Use BNV-D for market volumes.

I can run this same workflow for your actual substance or product next if useful.