Faster Approval of Crop Protection Products Long Overdue
Switzerland diligently bans active substances that have also been withdrawn from the market in the EU. Conversely, it is dragging its feet: modern products that are approved in neighboring countries remain blocked. With the adoption of the amendment to the Agriculture Act, the National Council has now taken an important step toward faster approval of plant protection products. One can only hope that the Council of States will take the next step.
Thursday, December 11, 2025
The National Council has sent an important signal by adopting the Bregy parliamentary initiative (amendment to the Agriculture Act) during the 2025 winter session. Plant protection products approved in an EU neighboring country, Belgium, or the Netherlands should become available more quickly via a simplified procedure—provided that the agronomic and ecological conditions are comparable. A majority also supports adopting relevant emergency approvals from the EU so that Swiss farms are no longer at a disadvantage under acute pest pressure.
The Federal Council is also moving
The Federal Council has adopted the total revision of the Plant Protection Products Ordinance. This is a step toward greater transparency and more efficient processes. It is a move in the right direction, but the Federal Council’s proposal still falls short. The corset remains too tight, and truly faster approvals cannot be derived from it. That is why implementing the parliamentary initiative Bregy remains important and urgent.
The pressure for reform is high. More than 700 crop protection products are awaiting a decision. At the same time, the number of available active substances has shrunk significantly; emergency approvals have recently reached record levels. Old substances are disappearing, while new ones—often more selective and environmentally friendly—are not coming in. This increases the risk of crop losses, for example in sugar beets or in viticulture affected by mildew, and forces the government to grant exemptions more and more often.
Switzerland needs a streamlined, EU-compatible approval system with clear deadlines and reasonable fees. Faster access to modern products reduces environmental impacts and strengthens supply security. It now remains to be seen how the Council of States will set the course.
Still unsure whether faster approval is necessary? Then a subscription to the agricultural media is worthwhile—the reality is striking: reports about invasive and domestic pests, from the spotted-wing drosophila to the Japanese beetle and the Asian hornet, fill the pages. Here’s the link to BauernZeitung. And here to Schweizer Bauer. Three producer representatives also described very vividly at the Swiss Food Talk on 1 July 2025 that crop protection in Switzerland is no longer guaranteed.
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