EU moves to fast-track biopesticide access, cutting approval times
euronews
2025.02.21
As regulatory delays risk driving innovation away from Europe, a newly announced plan of the EU executive aims to speed up approvals for biopesticides and biocontrol technologies.
The European Commission is set to overhaul the current framework for marketing the two, announcing new EU rules to fast-track approvals in the last quarter of this year, followed by the much-anticipated 2026 Biotech Act expected to fill any remaining gaps.
With pesticide reduction targets shelved indefinitely, the most significant development outlined in the Vision for Agriculture and Food concerns alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Biopesticides, derived from natural materials, offer pest control solutions with a lower environmental impact than conventional pesticides. These include fungi that infect and kill aphids and beetles, viruses that target certain caterpillars, and essential oils like clove oil, which repels pests.
As regulatory delays risk driving innovation away from Europe, a newly announced plan of the EU executive aims to speed up approvals for biopesticides and biocontrol technologies.
The European Commission is set to overhaul the current framework for marketing the two, announcing new EU rules to fast-track approvals in the last quarter of this year, followed by the much-anticipated 2026 Biotech Act expected to fill any remaining gaps.
With pesticide reduction targets shelved indefinitely, the most significant development outlined in the Vision for Agriculture and Food concerns alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Biopesticides, derived from natural materials, offer pest control solutions with a lower environmental impact than conventional pesticides. These include fungi that infect and kill aphids and beetles, viruses that target certain caterpillars, and essential oils like clove oil, which repels pests.
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