What Does This Mean for Farmers?
Europe’s crop protection toolbox is getting smaller. Over the last seven years, the number of active substances no longer available to European farmers has risen from 89 to 93, while only one new active substance has been approved.
Over time, substances used to protect crops against pests, diseases and weeds are withdrawn following regulatory decisions or are no longer renewed. As existing substances leave the market, new innovations should be able to replace them and ensure farmers continue to have access to safe and effective solutions.
But what happens when new innovations are not reaching farmers at the same pace as existing tools are being lost?
Why Do Options Matter?
Access to diverse range of tools allows farmers to select the most appropriate solution for a particular challenge and to combine different approaches as part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Farmers must manage a wide variety of pests, diseases and weeds which differ according to crop, region, season and conditions in the field. No single solution can address every challenge.
A diverse toolbox also allows farmers rotate solutions and reduce the risk of resistance developing over time. As the range of available options narrows, managing these challenges becomes more difficult and farmers have less flexibility to respond to changing conditions.
Pests and diseases do not disappear when a product is withdrawn. Farmers therefore continue to need effective solutions to protect their crops and maintain productivity.
Innovation Exists. Access Is the Challenge.
The crop protection sector continues to invest in new active substances and biological solutions designed to help farmers address evolving agricultural challenges while supporting sustainability objectives.
However, innovation only makes a difference when it reaches the farm. When the regulatory system cannot assess and authorise new solutions in a timely and predictable way, the gap between available tools and farmers’ needs continues to grow.
The challenge is therefore not whether innovation exists, but whether farmers can gain access to it.
As older tools leave the market, new innovations need to be available to take their place. When this does not happen, farmers are left with fewer options despite continued scientific progress and investment in new solutions.
Why These Numbers Matter Now
These figures come at a time when policymakers are considering how Europe’s regulatory framework can remain both rigorous and fit for purpose. The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus provides an opportunity to examine whether existing processes are delivering high levels of protection while also ensuring that innovation can reach farmers efficiently.
The debate is not about lowering standards. Every active substance should continue to meet Europe’s high standards for human health and environmental protection.
The question is whether the regulatory system can keep pace with scientific progress and enable safe innovations to replace the solutions leaving the market.
The figures illustrate why this matters: over the last seven years, 93 active substances have been lost, while only one new active substance has been approved. Ensuring that regulation keeps pace with innovation will be essential if farmers are to maintain access to the diverse toolbox they need to tackle future challenges.