Agricultural Chemical Regulation in South Africa
How are agricultural chemicals regulated in South Africa?
South Africa regulates agricultural chemicals mainly under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947). Under it, the Registrar in the Department of Agriculture registers every product before it can be sold and can restrict products or phase them out. Pesticide residues in food are controlled separately by the Department of Health under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972 (Act No. 54 of 1972).
Approach: I searched South Africa's official restricted agricultural remedies register (Act 36 of 1947) and South African food legislation. I also read Government Gazette notices on gov.za and the Department of Health site. I could not open the full October 2024 amended Agricultural Remedies Regulations: the Department of Agriculture server was unreachable, and the gov.za copy of the August 2023 Regulations is a scanned image with no readable text.
1. Product registration (Act 36 of 1947, Department of Agriculture)
- What the Act covers. As enacted in 1947, the Act provides for an officer in the Department of Agriculture to register fertilizers, farm feeds, remedies and sterilizing plants. A product is registered only if the officer is satisfied it is "suitable and sufficiently effective" and meets the prescribed requirements. Registration can carry conditions and can be cancelled (Act 36 of 1947, gov.za).
- Ban on unregistered products. The 1947 text also forbids selling any remedy unless it is registered, packed and labelled as prescribed, and matches the composition and efficacy stated in the application. Imports can be detained and sampled at the port of entry. The only copy I could open is the original 1947 bill, so its section numbers may not match the amended Act in force today.
- Who must register today. The current fee regulations confirm that registration covers agricultural remedies, stock remedies, fertilizers, farm feeds, sterilizing plants and pest control operators. They also show that the Minister makes regulations under section 23 and that appeals are lodged under section 6 (GN 7119, 13 Feb 2026).
- Fees and validity from 1 April 2026 (same gazette):
- New agricultural or stock remedy registration (including lapsed, parallel and daughter registrations): R 13 956. Valid for 3 years.
- Renewal: R 6 995, also valid for 3 years.
- Other charges cover a new source of active ingredient, formulation changes, protocol approval, data waivers, conditional or emergency registration for minor crops, and import permits.
2. Substances of concern and derogations
- The Department of Agriculture issued "Regulations relating to agricultural remedies" in August 2023 (GN 3812, 25 Aug 2023). Amended regulations followed in October 2024; I could not open those.
- Under the 2023 Regulations, a product whose active ingredient is a substance of concern needs a derogation to stay in use. Published notices show that hazard classifications under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) are what trigger this:
- Glufosinate ammonium, classified as reproductive toxin Category 1B (UPL notice) (GN 5639, 6 Dec 2024).
- Spirodiclofen, classified as carcinogen Category 1B (ICA notice) (GN 6115, 11 Apr 2025).
- How the derogation process works, according to these notices:
- The applicant carries out a toxicological risk assessment for the specific uses it wants to keep.
- It announces the application in the Government Gazette.
- The public has 30 days to send comments to the Registrar.
3. Restricted agricultural remedies
The Registrar's official restricted register lists 200 product entries. Each entry gives the "L" registration number, the company and the reason for restriction:
- Acute toxicity (oral, dermal and/or inhalation): 185 entries. Examples include fumigants such as Gastoxin GE Tablets (aluminium phosphide, L5377) [1] and chlorothalonil fungicides such as Champ 500 SC (L11038) [2].
- Severe or irreversible effects on human health or the environment: 9 entries. These are paraquat and methomyl products, for example Agriquat 200 SL (L6297) [3] and Methomex 200 SL (L5253) [4].
- Listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention: 6 entries (the register misspells it "Rotterdam Conversion"):
- Most frequent active ingredients: aluminium phosphide (30 entries), then paraquat, oxamyl, methomyl, chlorothalonil and carbofuran.
- Other active ingredients include terbufos (one entry, L8119, is restricted for "Acute toxicity-Oral, Dermal & Carcinogenicity") [11] and copper-chromium-arsenic wood preservatives such as Tanalith (L3150) [12].
4. Pesticide residues in food (Act 54 of 1972, Department of Health)
- The Minister of Health sets maximum residue limits (MRLs) under section 15(1) of Act 54 of 1972. The governing instrument is the Regulations governing the maximum limits for pesticide residues that may be present in foodstuffs (GN R.246 of 11 February 1994). Its Annex lists each chemical substance, foodstuff and MRL in mg/kg.
- It has been amended many times, including R.46 of 19 January 2012 (R.46/2012) and GN 119 of 10 February 2020, which added crop-group definitions such as "citrus group" and "pome fruits" (GN 119/2020).
- How the two Acts connect: R.46/2012 states that some MRLs were calculated from an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) supplied by "the Registrar: Act 36 of 1947". The agriculture registration system therefore feeds directly into the health department's residue limits.
- I could not confirm from an official text which amendment is the latest, or whether there is a default limit for food not listed in the Annex.
If useful, I can next look up the MRL for a specific pesticide and crop, or check whether a particular active ingredient or product is on the restricted register.
How do I register a new agricultural remedy?
To register a new agricultural remedy in South Africa, you apply to the Registrar: Act 36 of 1947 in the Department of Agriculture's Directorate Agriculture Inputs Control. You send the official application form in triplicate with one copy of your supporting studies, and you pay the prescribed fee, which is R 13 956 per product from 1 April 2026. The government's service page gives processing time as 6 to 12 months, and a registration is valid for 3 years.
Approach: The datasets only cover South Africa's restricted remedies register, not how to register, so I used the official gov.za service page and the 2026 fee notice. I could not read the text of the August 2023 Agricultural Remedies Regulations (GN 3812) or the October 2024 amendments (GN 5399, Gazette 51368): the gov.za copies have no readable text, and the Department of Agriculture's server, which hosts the Registrar's guidelines, could not be reached.
Who can apply
- You must be a South African citizen, or a registered company or other legal entity with an office in South Africa.
- If someone else already holds a registration for the same remedy, you need their permission first (gov.za: Register an agricultural remedy).
Steps (gov.za service page)
- Fill in the form "Application for the registration of an Agricultural Remedy".
- Prepare the dossier:
- Three copies of the completed application.
- One copy of the supporting studies: toxicology, efficacy, residues, and the product's physical specifications.
- If you are importing product (for example for trials), state the port of entry, dosage rate, trial protocol, trial location, active ingredients and quantity.
- Submit it:
- By post to The Registrar: Act 36 of 1947, Private Bag X343, Pretoria, 0001.
- Or by hand to Agriculture Place, 20 Steve Biko Street, Arcadia, Pretoria. Ask for a receipt.
- Pay the fee:
- Standard Bank, account "NDA-ACT 36 of 1947", number 11 2031 02, branch 01 0845.
- Use your company name as the reference.
- Contact: Agriculture Inputs Control helpdesk, 012 319 7103/7847, AICHelpdesk@daff.gov.za.
The Act's basic test, from the 1947 text covered in my last answer, still applies: the Registrar must be satisfied that the remedy is "suitable and sufficiently effective" and meets the prescribed requirements.
Fees from 1 April 2026 (GN 7119, 13 February 2026, Table 1 item 8)
Source for all fees: GN 7119.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| New registration (also lapsed, parallel and daughter registrations) | R 13 956 per product; valid 3 years |
| Renewal | R 6 995 per product; valid 3 years |
| Protocol approval | R 4 445 |
| Data waiver application (scientific data analysis) | R 4 445 |
| Additional or new source of active ingredient | R 4 883 |
| Change in active-ingredient purity specification, new impurity or change in manufacturing process | R 7 382 |
| Change of manufacturer or additional manufacturer | R 7 382 |
| Major formulation change | R 7 382 |
| Minor formulation change | R 1 513 |
| Additional claims | R 7 382 |
| Completing a conditional registration that followed an emergency registration (e.g. minor crops) | R 2 268 |
| Technical or data evaluation for an exemption application | R 2 268 |
| Import permit | R 870 per product |
| Appeal under section 6 of the Act | R 8 574 |
The notice says the Registrar's guideline documents can be downloaded free from the Department of Agriculture website.
Points to plan for
- Substances of concern: if your active ingredient carries a serious GHS hazard classification, the 2023 Regulations may require a derogation (see my previous answer).
- Examples are reproductive toxicity Category 1B (glufosinate ammonium) and carcinogenicity Category 1B (spirodiclofen).
- The derogation notices describe a risk assessment for each use, a notice in the Government Gazette and a 30-day public comment period.
- Residue limits: a remedy for food crops also needs a maximum residue limit under the Department of Health's rules (Act 54 of 1972). The Registrar under Act 36 of 1947 supplies the acceptable daily intake used to set it, as covered last time.
Not confirmed from the official texts I could read: the detailed list of data the 2023/2024 Regulations require (study standards, label format, chemical-equivalence rules for generics, disclosure of registrations refused or banned in other countries) and any statutory decision deadline. These are set out in those Regulations and in the Registrar's guidelines, which I could not open.
I can next check whether a particular active ingredient already appears on the restricted register, or look up its maximum residue limits in South Africa.
Which ones are restricted?
The South African Registrar's restricted agricultural remedies register (Act 36 of 1947) lists 200 restricted products, made from about 50 active ingredients or mixtures. Almost all are restricted for acute toxicity: 185 entries. Nine are restricted for severe or irreversible effects on human health or the environment, and six because they are listed in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention. The panel document lists all 200 products with registration number, company, product type, the register's stated reason and a citation for each.
Approach: I pulled the whole of South Africa's official restricted agricultural remedies register and grouped the entries by active ingredient. Names and reasons are given as the register spells them. Where it writes one ingredient two ways, I have combined the counts below.
Restricted active ingredients (number of products)
| Active ingredient | Products | Example (Reg. No.) |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminium phosphide | 30 | QuickPhos Tablets (L7501) [13] |
| Oxamyl | 20, plus 1 mixed with imidacloprid | Foxamyl 310 SL (L9883) [14]; Bandito GR (L10605) [15] |
| Paraquat | 15, plus 4 with diquat and 1 with diuron | Scorcher 200 SL (L9085) [16]; Skoffel Duo 200 SL (L9063) [17]; Farmuron 400 SC (L10097) [18] |
| Methomyl | 14 | Snap (L8395) [19] |
| Chlorothalonil | 12, plus 2 with azoxystrobin | Talonil 720 (L8935) [20]; Amistar Opti (L8265) [21]; Fortress Elite 660 SC (L10732) [22] |
| Carbofuran | 9 | Carbodan 10 GR (L7577) [23] |
| Fenamiphos | 8 | Atador (L7167) [24] |
| Methamidophos (6, plus 2 spelled "methamidofos") | 8 | Tamron 585 SL (L8251) [25] |
| Terbufos | 7 | Terbufos 15 G (L7582) [26] |
| Fenbutatin oxide (3, plus 1 listed as "fenbutatin") | 4 | Crystal 550 SC (L9050) [27]; Fenbutatin 550 SC (L10863) [28] |
| Prothiofos (2, plus 2 spelled "prothionphos") | 4 | Adama Prothiofos (L11618) [29]; Tokuthion 960 EC (L0924) [30] |
| Zinc phosphide (rodenticide) | 4 | Rotblitz (L9481) [31] |
| Dichlorvos | 4 | Dichlorvos EC (L8479) [32] |
| Copper, chromium, arsenic | 4 | Permacure oxide liquor (L5732) [33] |
| Alachlor | 4 | Farmag Alachlor 384 EC (L5949) [34] |
| Abamectin | 3, plus 1 with thiamethoxam | Agrimec Gold (L9235) [35]; Solvigo (L10099) [36] |
| Bromoxynil | 3, plus 1 with terbuthylazine | Bromotril P 500 SC (L7019) [37]; Bromotril Terbu (L6653) [38] |
| Ethoprophos | 3 | Procap 15 GR (L9118) [39] |
| Cadusafos | 3 | Rugby 10G (L4110) [40] |
| Diquat (2 listed as "diquat ion", 1 as "diquat") | 3 | Dicepol 200SL (L11520) [41]; Scuba 200 SL (L8242) [42] |
| Chlorfenapyr | 2 | Hunter 24 SC (L8307) [43] |
| Flubendiamide | 2 | Flumide 480 SC (L11827) [44] |
| Picloram and fluroxypyr | 2 | Conclave 160 ME (L10592) [45] |
| Magnesium phosphide | 2 | Degesch Strip (L2520) [46] |
| Omethoate | 2 | Infiltrate 880 SL (L10553) [47] |
Ingredients with one restricted product each (17):
- Methidathion [48]
- Bifenthrin [49]
- Dithianon [50]
- Fenpyroximate [51]
- Lambda-cyhalothrin [52]
- Fenpropathrin [53]
- 1,3-dichloropropene [54]
- 1,3-dichloropropene with chloropicrin [55]
- Ethylene dibromide (EDB) [56]
- Azinphos-methyl [57]
- Fomesafen [58]
- Glufosinate-ammonium (Lockdown 200 SL, L11088) [59]
- Acrolein [60]
- Formetanate [61]
- Carbaryl [62]
- Picloram [63]
- Parathion [64]
Carbosulfan has one product, Marshal 48 EC (L3314), restricted as a Rotterdam Annex III listing [5]. That brings the single-product ingredients to 18.
Points to note
- The reasons other than acute toxicity are limited to a few ingredients:
- "Severe or irreversible" effects: only paraquat, paraquat/diquat and methomyl products.
- Rotterdam Annex III: only alachlor, carbofuran and carbosulfan.
- One terbufos entry is the only one that also names carcinogenicity.
- Product types: mostly insecticides (including nematicides and fumigants), then 37 herbicides, 15 fungicides and 4 rodenticides.
- A likely data error in the register: "Methidathion 420 EC" (L7583) is listed with methamidophos as its active ingredient [65].
I can next pull every restricted product for one company or ingredient, or check an ingredient's South African residue limits.