In the Dec. 2011 issue of GCM, we published an item on the Gowan Co.'s decision to pull from the market Rubigan AS, a systemic fungicide used on golf courses in the United States for disease control and in the management of Poa annua and spring dead spot on bermudagrass greens and tees (Front Nine, Page 24). Unfortunately, that item contained a key error in fact that we need to correct.
Gowan will sell and support Rubigan AS and Vintage SC through Dec. 2012 before exiting the fenarimol business, not the end of 2011 as the story states. So superintendents will still have all of 2012 to purchase those products. Gowan has indicated it will discuss voluntary cancellation of all its fenarimol products with the U.S. EPA.
The complete text of a letter that Gowan sent to its distributors and customers is reprinted below:
Rubigan® AS (Fenarimol) has been a strong performing fungicide for key turf diseases for over 25 years. It has been an important product in the Gowan Company portfolio for the past 9 years.
Unfortunately, due to regulatory actions outside the U.S. and ever increasing regulatory costs here in the U.S., Gowan has had to carefully reconsider the business. In a continually evolving fungicide marketplace and with the need to make a substantial investment in regulatory work to support the molecule, Gowan has decided to exit the fenarimol business globally.
Gowan will sell and support the fenarimol brand Rubigan® AS through December 2012. However, Gowan plans to discuss with EPA the voluntary cancellation of its fenarimol registrations.
Your Gowan USA T&O Sales Representative will be in contact with the key folks within your organization in the next few weeks to discuss a product allocation plan through 2012.
The distribution channel typically has 2 years from the official date of cancellation to sell existing inventory of fenarimol products. Turf Managers typically have no time limitation to use up fenarimol products they have purchased.
Gowan wishes to thank you for your support of Rubigan® AS over the years and to assure you that Gowan remains dedicated to providing new innovative plant protection solutions.
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