In 1992, a 250-page guidance document was required to register a new agricultural pesticide active in Europe. In 2019, a 1,500-page document is required.

This gives us an indication on the changing pesticide regulatory requirements in the EU over the past two decades.

Attendees at this week’s Irish Tillage and Land Use Society winter conference heard from product stewardship leader with Corteva Agriscience Louise Brinkworth about the challenges when registering new chemical actives in the EU.

Time frame

For example, in the 1990s, it took eight years to bring a new active to the market. This time frame has increased to nearly 12 years now, at a cost of around €250m.

The registration process is complex and costly, but the EU crop market is still considered a high-value market, she says.

The Irish Farmers Journal spoke with Louise about some of these challenges. Listen to the full podcast below.

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