Product approval

Safeguarding health and the environment

The pesticide industry is continually developing new, innovative products and technologies that deliver a wide range of benefits in direct response to public demand. The official approval process for pesticides (also known as crop protection products) in the EU is one of the most stringent in the world and is primarily designed to safeguard human health and the environment.

A fundamental principle lies behind the European legislation governing these products: it is more important to protect human health, wildlife and the environment than to improve agricultural productivity. Today, before product approval is granted, more than 100 specific tests must be completed. Researching, developing and bringing to market a new substance can take up to nine years and typically costs about € 200 million. Pesticides are more thoroughly tested for all impacts than any other products - including human medicines.

Physical and chemical properties

These data include among others the colour, odour and solubility of a pesticide. This is a guarantee of consistent composition and quality of the product.

Analytical methods

These are validated methods to determine purity and potential residues detection.

Toxicity and metabolism studies

The acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) toxicity is assessed for humans and animals. Metabolism studies assess what happens to the product once it has entered an organism, its movement and absorption, and how it is degraded and excreted.

Residues in food

These tests assess the presence of residues on crops as a result of recommended uses. This ensures that food is safe to eat as the MRLs permitted under European legislation are well below any level of concern and include wide safety margins.

Environmental and ecotoxicological studies

These tests assess the fate of a product in soil, water and air, but also any potential effects on birds, bees, aquatic species and other non-target organisms.

Efficacy

These data show whether the pesticide performs its expected role in controlling target weeds, pests or diseases.

Registering plant protection products (pesticides) in the European Union

An overview of the regulatory framework for the registration of pesticide products in the European Union.

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