EU works on longer pesticide approval periods
Compromise proposal extends reassessment periods as scientists warn of weaker protection.
The presidency of the Council of the EU has published a compromise proposal on rules for plant protection products and biocides. The proposal extends approval periods, but also offers new possibilities for interim reassessment.
The proposal is part of the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus. According to the EU, its aim is to simplify rules and make procedures for food, feed and plant protection safety more efficient.
The Dutch Board for the Authorisation of Plant Protection Products and Biocides, the Ctgb, writes that the maximum approval period for regular active substances could be extended from 15 to 25 years. According to the board, the current periods are 10 years for first approval and 15 years for renewal.
A longer period means that substances are subjected less often to a full assessment against the latest scientific insights. The Ctgb therefore warns that the level of protection could fall. At the same time, the board considers a European alert system an improvement: new scientific knowledge and monitoring data could prompt a targeted interim reassessment.
For biocides, the Ctgb says there is no comparable European alert system. The board therefore sees fewer safeguards for biocides against a possible lower level of protection.
More than 500 scientists and doctors have called in an open letter for the negotiations to be paused until the health and environmental consequences have been independently investigated. Their criticism focuses mainly on the risk that new harm will become visible only after a substance has already been authorised for a long time.
The proposal is not yet definitive European legislation. The European Parliament and the Council must develop their positions further and negotiate the final text. The consequences will also depend on how interim checks are carried out in practice.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The EU is discussing a package to simplify rules on food safety and plant protection products.
- The compromise proposal extends some approval periods.
- The Ctgb sees both efficiency gains and risks to the level of protection.
Left
Arguments Health and biodiversity should outweigh lower administrative burdens. Regular reassessment is necessary because the effects of substances may only become visible later.
Values Precaution, public health and protection of ecosystems.
Consequences Stricter checks may delay approvals, but according to this approach they reduce the risk of long-term harm.
Centre
Arguments Simplification is possible as long as new scientific knowledge is processed quickly and independent oversight mechanisms genuinely function.
Values Balance, practicability and evidence-based policy.
Consequences A targeted alert system can limit administrative burdens, but requires sufficient capacity and clear European agreements.
Right
Arguments Farmers need timely access to products to protect yields, food supplies and competitiveness. Rules should be predictable and proportionate.
Values Economic freedom, food security and competitiveness.
Consequences Longer approvals may improve investment and business certainty, but could undermine confidence in oversight if problems are discovered too late.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The content of the compromise proposal and the criticism of it are well documented. The text corrects the suggestion that the EU has already adopted a definitive relaxation of the rules.
- confirmed The compromise proposal extends the maximum approval period for regular active substances from 15 to 25 years. — From the Ctgb assessment of the compromise text. source
- confirmed The proposal contains a European alert system for plant protection products. — The Ctgb identifies this as an improvement compared with earlier versions. source
- confirmed More than 500 scientists and doctors signed an open letter. — Reported in public coverage of the open letter. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: EU countries have agreed to a relaxation of the pesticide rules.Now: The EU presidency has published a compromise proposal; the definitive legislation has not yet been adopted. (The sources consulted describe a proposal and ongoing negotiations, not a definitive agreement.)
Editor's note
The extended periods and the alert system come from the Ctgb assessment. This is a compromise proposal, not adopted EU legislation; its environmental consequences are still the subject of political and scientific debate.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „pesticiden landbouw”
- de Volkskrant — „pesticiden landbouw”
- NU.nl — „pesticiden landbouw”