Navarra suspends the herbicide prosulfocarb to protect olives

The Department of Rural Development and Environment of the Government of Navarra has temporarily suspended the application of phytosanitary products containing the active substance prosulfocarb from the entry into force of the regulation until December 15, 2026. The measure is detailed in Foral Order 269E/2026, dated August 27, signed by Counselor José María Aierdi Fernández de Barrena, and published in the Official Gazette of Navarra number 181, dated September 14, 2026.

The suspension seeks to prevent the herbicide, widely used in winter cereal crops, from contaminating olives intended for oil production through spray drift. Although prosulfocarb is not authorized for use in olive trees, its presence in olives disqualifies the product for food use; therefore, the regulation protects the suitability of the olive and the food safety of Navarrese oil.

Affected Regions

The restriction applies to several agricultural regions of Navarra, with varying scopes depending on the territory:

• Region III: municipalities of Añorbe, Tirapu, Obanos, Enériz, Puente la Reina, Legarda, Uterga, Adiós, Muruzábal, Biurrun-Olcoz, Úcar, Guirguillano, and Artazu.
• Region IV: all municipalities, except Marañón, Genevilla, Cabredo, La Población-Maño, Zuñiga, Lana, Larraona, Aranarache, Eulate, and Amescoa Baja.
• Region V: all municipalities.
• Region VI: all municipalities.
• Region VII: plots located on the right bank of the Ebro River.

In the remaining regions, municipalities, and areas, a minimum distance of 100 meters from unharvested olive plantations must be maintained. The territorial division refers to the Foral Order of March 2, 1998, regarding agricultural regions.

Control and Recommendations

The order approves a specific control plan for the 2026-2027 cereal campaign, which includes consultations with the Electronic Registry of Transactions and Operations with phytosanitary products (RETO), sampling for residue analysis in cereal and olive plots, and monitoring of farm records. Additionally, Annex II sets recommendations to avoid drift contamination, such as using alternative herbicides, treating with wind speeds below 2.5 m/s, temperatures below 25 ºC and humidity above 50%, or using drift-reduction nozzles of 90-95%.

Non-compliance will be sanctioned in accordance with Chapters I and II of Title IV of Law 43/2002, of November 20, on Plant Health. The department will promote, through the Navarrese Institute of Agri-Food Technologies and Infrastructures (INTIA), experimentation and advisory actions regarding alternatives, and will propose to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food a review of the authorization conditions for these products.

Background

The restriction is not new: in 2015, official controls detected prosulfocarb in Navarrese olives, and since then, limitations have followed, from Resolution 969/2016 to provincial orders 341/2017, 241/2018, 14/2019, 164/2020, 137/2021, 118/2022, 16/2023, 41/2024, and 20/2025. The results of previous campaigns confirm the effectiveness of the restrictions and advise maintaining them to guarantee oil production in Navarra.

The measure represents a new chapter in the protection of Navarrese olive groves against a herbicide widely used in cereals, and forces farmers to plan their treatments before the olive harvest. For oil producers, it ensures that the final product retains its food suitability and commercial value.

Source: Official Gazette of Navarra, number 181, September 14, 2026, section 1.1.3 Provincial Orders, pages 32599-32601 (official reference: Provincial Order 269E/2026, code F2612039).