This list of active ingredients are being or have been withdrawn from sale since 2002. It does not include products that have simply been discontinued. Note that the brand names may be retained even though active ingredients in them are changed. Please be careful to use only the current brands.

UK legislation requires approval for active ingredients used in all pesticides, including those for home garden use. Products approved in the UK are assigned a registration number, printed on the pack – MAPP numbers for pesticides for use on plants and HSE numbers for household products. Products with currently listed numbers are approved and considered safe if used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. To check MAPP numbers, see the Garden Pesticide Search.

For garden chemicals and other plant protection products currently available to gardeners see;

• Pesticides for gardeners (Adobe Acrobat pdf document outlining pesticides available to gardeners)
• Fungicides for gardeners (Adobe Acrobat pdf document outlining fungicides available to gardeners)

RHS response to a European Union decision to restrict the use of some neonicotinoids 

“The RHS is extremely concerned about the potential unintended effects of pesticides on bees, other pollinators and the wider environment. The RHS welcomes any move that increases our knowledge and understanding of the factors that may play a role in the decline of pollinators and other wildlife.

In response to the EU judgement restricting the use of  neonicotinoids, we immediately reviewed and updated the advice we provide gardeners through RHS Gardening Advice and the RHS website.

Our aim is to always encourage a responsible approach to gardening and pest control and we will continue to offer advice on alternatives to insecticides where they are likely to be helpful. We will also provide home gardeners with guidance on how to safely dispose of products containing the restricted neonicotinoids in order to reduce the environmental impact of these products.”

The products requiring disposal include:

Imidacloprid (Bayer Provado Lawn Grub Killer, wettable granules)
Thiamethoxam (Westland Plant Rescue Bug Killer Ornamental Plants, concentrate)
Thiamethoxam (Westland Plant Rescue Bug Killer Ornamental Plants (+ abamectin), ready-to-use spray)

See below for advice on safely disposing of garden chemicals.

Products have been grouped according to their use and then alphabetically by active ingredient.

Pecticides

Active ingredient Bifenthrin
Brand name(s) Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer Plus, Bayer Multirose 3-in-1, Bayer Bug-Free, Bayer Bug and Disease Killer, Doff All in One Garden Pest Killer, Scotts Rose Clear 3, Scotts Rose Clear 3 Gun, Scotts Bug Clear Gun
Main use Various insects and red spider mite
Last date of use 31.5.11

Active ingredient Chlorpyriphos
Brand name(s) Bio Chlorophos
Main use Vegetable root flies
Last date of use 15.6.02

Active ingredient Dimethoate
Brand name(s) Doff Systemic Insecticide
Main use Sap-feeding insects
Last date of use 31.8.02

Active ingredient Lindane
Brand name(s) Doff Gamma BHC Dust, Doff Weevil Killer, Doff Ant Killer
Main use Various soil pests (Doff Gamma BHC Dust and Doff Weevil Killer), ants (Doff Ant Killer)
Last date of use 20.6.02

Active ingredient Malathion
Brand name(s) Murphy Liquid Malathion
Main use Various insects and mites
Last date of use 30.11.02

Active ingredient Metaldehyde
Brand name(s) Ultimate Slug and Snail Killer, Deadfast Slug Killer, Doff Slug Killer Blue Mini Pellets, Westland Eraza Slug and Snail Killer (be aware that some suppliers of these products have now launched similar sounding products with ferric phosphate as the main ingredient, i.e. Doff Slug and Snail Killer)
Main use Slugs and snails
Last date of use 31.03.22

Active ingredient Permethrin
Brand name(s) Homebase All in One Insecticide
Main use Various insects
Last date of use 27.6.02

Active ingredient Pirimicarb
Brand name(s) Rose Clear 2 (Rose Clear 2 has been replaced by a new product Roseclear Ultra with an increased range of uses and different active ingredients)
Main use Aphids only
Last date of use 31.12.03

Active ingredient Pirimiphos-methyl
Brand name(s) Fumite General Purpose Smoke Cone
Main use Glasshouse pests
Last date of use 31.7.03

Active ingredient Resmethrin
Brand name(s) Vitax House Plant pest killer
Main use Houseplant insects
Last date of use 31.12.03

Active ingredient Rotenone
Brand name(s) Bio Liquid Derris Plus, Doff Derris Dust, Vitax Derris Dust
Main use Various leaf pests
Last date of use 10.10.09

Active ingredient Tar oils and tar acids
Brand name(s) Murphy Mortegg (The only products now available for use as a winter wash are the plant oil-based Growing Success Winter Tree Wash and Vitax Winter Tree Wash)
Main use Aphid eggs on fruit trees
Last date of use 31.12.04

Active ingredient Tar oils and tar acids
Brand name(s) Armillatox (Armillatox remains on the market as a disinfectant, but is no longer permitted to be used for pesticidal purposes)
Main use Vine weevil eggs
Last date for use 31.12.03

Animal repellents

Active ingredient Bone oil
Brand name(s) Renardine
Main use Animal repellent
Last date of use 24.3.05

Products have been grouped alphabetically by active ingredient.

Active ingredient Carbendazim
Brand name(s) Doff Plant Disease Control, Spotless
Main use Various diseases
Last date of use 30.6.03

Active ingredient Copper oxychloride
Brand name(s) Bayer Garden Fruit and Vegetable Disease Control
Main use For the control of celery leaf spot, peach leaf curl, potato blight, tomato blight, apple and pear canker, bacterial canker of plums and cherries, rust on currants and gooseberries, cane spot on raspberries and loganberries. Prevents damping-off and foot rot of seedlings of edible and ornamental garden plants.
Last date of use 30.11.15

Active ingredient Copper sulphate
Brand name(s) Cheshunt compound
Main use Damping off in seedlings
Last date of use 30.11.11

Active ingredient Copper sulphate plus hydrated lime (Bordeaux mixture)
Brand name(s) Vitax Bordeaux mixture
Main use Controls blight on potato and tomato; celery leaf spot; apple canker; bacterial canker on cherry and plum; peach leaf curl; black currant and gooseberry rust.
Last date of use 30.11.15

Active ingredient Difenoconazole
Brand name(s) Westland Plant Rescue Fungus Control (liquid concentrate and ready-to-use spray) (This active ingredient has not been withdrawn but the product/s containing it are no longer being marketed to home gardeners)
Main use For control of powdery mildew, rust and blackspot on roses and rust and powdery mildews on other ornamentals (liquid concentrate and ready-to-use spray) and also rust, powdery mildews and scabs on fruit and vegetables (liquid concentrate only).
Last date of use 30.6.15

Active ingredient Mancozeb
Brand name(s) Dithane (This active ingredient has not been withdrawn but the product/s containing it are no longer being marketed)
Main use Various diseases
Last date of use Not applicable

Active ingredient Penconazole
Brand name(s) Fungus Attack (This active ingredient has not been withdrawn but the product/s containing it are no longer being marketed)
Main use Various diseases on roses and ornamentals
Last date of use Not applicable

Active ingredient Sulphur (Sulphur candle)
Brand name(s) Growing Success Deadfast Greenhouse sulphur candle. Sulphur candles are still offered as cleaning agents rather than pesticides, and must be used as directed on the label
Main use A general glasshouse fumigant used to kill fungal spores on exposed surfaces
Last date of use 31.12.11

Active ingredient Sulphur (Green sulphur)
Brand name(s) Vitax green sulphur
Main use For control of powdery mildew on many fruit, ornamentals and vegetables and storage rots of bulbs, corms and tubers. Also useful for treating greenhouse staging, seed trays and boxes where moulds are likely to occur
Last date of use 31.12.11

Active ingredient Sulphur (Yellow sulphur)
Brand name(s) Vitax yellow sulphur
Main use For control of powdery mildew on many fruit, ornamentals and vegetables and storage rots of bulbs, corms and tubers. Also useful for treating greenhouse staging, seed trays and boxes where moulds are likely to occur
Last date for use 31.12.11

Active ingredient Tar oils and tar acids
Brand name(s) Armillatox and Jeyes Fluid (Armillatox and Jeyes Fluid remain on the market as disinfectants, but they no longer are permitted to be used for pesticidal purposes)
Main use Honey fungus and clubroot (Armillatox), soil sterilisation (Jeyes Fluid)
Last date for use 31.12.03

Active ingredient Thiophanate methyl
Brand name(s) Bio Liquid Club Root Control
Main use Clubroot
Last date for use 31.12.05

Active ingredient Triforine and bupirimate
Brand name(s) Rose Clear 2 (Rose Clear 2 has been replaced by a new product Roseclear Ultra with an increased range of uses and different active ingredients).
Main use Rose diseases
Last date for use 31.12.03

Products have been grouped according to their use and then alphabetically by active ingredient.

Weedkillers/herbicides

Active ingredient Ammonium sulphamate
Brand name(s) Deep Root, Root Out, Amcide, Doff Tree Stump & Tough Weedkiller and others 
Main use Woody weeds and stumps
Last date for use 22.5.08

Active ingredient Atrazine
Brand name(s) Scotts Pathclear (Pathclear Gun! is not affected as it does not contain artrazine - the replacement product Pathclear Ultra is based on approved active ingredients), Doff Total Path Weedkiller (the replacement product Doff Improved Total Path Weedkiller is based on approved active ingredients)
Main use Weeds
Last date for use 10.9.05

Active ingredient Dichlobenil
Brand name(s) Casoron G4 Weed Barrier
Main use Unplanted ground and around established trees and shrubs
Last date for use 18.03.10

Active ingredient Dichloroprop
Brand name(s) Many brands (Many of these have been replaced by other products that contain a different active ingredient but may be used for the same purposes)
Main use Lawn weeds
Last date for use 31.12.03

Active ingredient: Diuron
Brand name(s) Doff Long-lasting Path Weedkiller
Main use Weeds on hard surfaces
Last date for use 13.12.08

Active ingredient: Diquat
Brand name(s) This active ingredient was removed from products and the brand names continue to be used
Main use Weeds
Last date for use 31.07.19

Active ingredient Glufosinate ammonium
Brand name(s) FITO Garden Weedkiller and FITO Patio Weedkiller (This active ingredient has not been withdrawn but the product/s containing it are no longer being marketed).
Main use Weeds
Last date for use Not applicable

Active ingredient Paraquat
Brand name(s) Scotts Weedol
Main use Weeds
Last date for use 30.4.06

Active ingredient Simazine
Brand name(s) Scotts Pathclear (Pathclear Gun! is not affected as it does not contain simazine. The replacement product Pathclear Ultra is based on approved active ingredients), Doff Total Path Weedkiller (The replacement product Knockdown Path Weedkiller is based on approved active ingredients)
Main use Weeds
Last date for use 10.9.05

Active ingredient Sodium chlorate
Brand name(s) Doff Sodium Chlorate Weedkiller, Gem Stop Weeds Ready-to-Use, Gem Stop Weeds Sodium Chlorate, DeadFast Sodium Chlorate Weedkiller, Vitax Sodium Chlorate Weedkiller
Main use Weeds
Last date for use 10.5.10

Active ingredient Tar oils and tar acids
Brand name(s) Armillotox (Armillatox remains on the market as a disinfectant, but is no longer permitted to be used for pesticidal purposes)
Main use Moss, lichen or liverwort
Last date for use 31.12.03

Active ingredient TBA (2,3,6-trichlorobenzoic acid)
Brand name(s) Touchweeder
Main use Lawn weeds
Last date for use 31.12.03

Moss Killers

Active ingredient Dichlorophen
Brand name(s) Bio Kills Moss on Lawns (The manufacturers have ceased to make dichlorophen because there is no longer sufficient market for it)
Main use Lawn mosskiller
Last date for use 30.9.06

Plant Growth Regulators

Active ingredient Dichlorophen
Brand name(s) Baby Bio Roota
Main use Hormone rooting compound
Last date for use 30.4.06

Active ingredient NAA (1-naphthylacetic acid)
Brand name(s) Doff Hormone Rooting Powder
Main use Hormone rooting compound
Last date for use 30.06.17

Active ingredient Dikegulac
Brand name(s) Cutlass
Main use Hedge growth retardant
Last date for use 31.12.03

Out-of-date garden chemicals need to be safely and legally disposed of. They should not be placed in household waste or down the drain.

Contact your local council or visit the following websites for your nearest pesticide disposal site;

https://www.gov.uk/hazardous-waste-disposal
http://gardenchemicaldisposal.co.uk/