EU Commission presents new legislative proposal

Relaxation of the regulations governing the use and application of plant protection products

Rumours have been circulating for some time that the European Commission intends to amend regulations in the food, plant and feed sectors. This includes changes to the so-called ‘plant protection product legislation’. The new legislative proposal was published on 16 December 2025. We take a very critical view of this initiative and are not alone in our criticism.

Our criticism is directed in particular at changes to Article 5 of EU Regulation 1107/2009, which regulates the placing of plant protection products on the market. The proposal stipulates that authorisations will no longer have to be reviewed regularly, as has been the case up to now. Authorisations for new products would thus be valid indefinitely. Substances that have already been approved would also receive unlimited authorisations. The only substances exempt from this regulation would be those that are currently only conditionally approved due to a lack of data (substitution candidates).

The EU Commission justifies this proposal on the grounds that it would reduce the bureaucracy involved in the approval process. It would also give users greater certainty of use.

This proposed legislation must be assessed in light of the fact that previous authorisations were limited to a maximum of 15 years, and usually less. This proposal has been criticised by the scientific community but welcomed by the pharmaceutical industry. It removes the incentive for research and development of new, more environmentally friendly active ingredients, which costs many millions.

This so-called ‘omnibus package’ will now be discussed in the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament over the next 11 months, where it is expected to be adopted.

In our view, this proposal involves a reduction in existing standards that aim to protect the environment and consumers. The exact opposite is needed.

We very much welcome the fact that the German Beekeepers' Association will be critically monitoring this process.

Best regards an be(e)good, even if it is sometimes difficult

Yours sincerely,

Klaus Heinzel