The Applicant has postulated that the degradation of BAS 700 F in aerobic soil involves the hydrolytic cleavage of the carboxamide bond leading to two metabolites (M700F001, M700F002) containing only the pyrazole fragment – as observed in the study of Unold and Bayer (2009a). The corresponding counterpart (M700F003) containing the aniline moiety of the molecule was not detected in any study performed with parent BAS700F. The Applicant has assumed that M700F003 rapidly forms bound residues (due to the high unextracted residues observed in the aniline labelled study) and has therefore conducted an additional laboratory aerobic soil degradation study (Unold and Bayer (2009c)) with this theoretical soil metabolite. The study was also conducted at 20 oC and 40 % MWHC with Bruch West soil. However though a full mass balance was observed on the basis of quantification of radioactivity, identification of extracted radioactivity was not performed and instead radioactivity was assumed to be M700F003 throughout the study. Based on the results of the soil aerobic route of degradation studies, a degradation pathway has been postulated by the Applicant, and is presented in Figure B.8.23 below. The degradation of BAS 700 F in aerobic soil proceeds via hydrolytic cleavage of the carboxamide bond to form the N-methyl pyrazole carboxylic acid M700F001. M700F001 is demethylated to the pyrazole carboxylic acid M700F002 which is ultimately mineralised to CO2 or incorporated into bound residues. The corresponding aminobiphenyl moiety (M700F003) supposed to be formed after amide scission of BAS 700 F was not detected in any sample. It is assumed that this complementary part of the BAS 700 F molecule is incorporated into bound residues and/or rapidly mineralised to CO2 on formation. The RMS considers that the proposed route of degradation is reasonable on the basis of the evidence available.