In accordance with EU Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009, active substances used in plant protection products must submit re-evaluation applications at least three years before their expiry dates to ensure their continued compliance with safety and efficacy standards. If an active substance fails re-evaluation, the corresponding plant protection products must be progressively withdrawn from the EU market within 6 months, based on the specific re-evaluation results. As of September 9, 2025, the re-evaluation of EU pesticide active substances shows multi-dimensional progress, with the fate of various active substances in the EU market gradually becoming clear.

Between August 2024 and September 9, 2025, the registrations of 9 pesticide active substances have expired, meaning that related plant protection products have been or are about to be phased out of the EU market, causing a significant impact on companies relying on these active substances for production and sales.

From the perspective of active substance types, they cover different categories such as bacteria and chemically synthesized substances. Among them, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain QST 2808, a bacterial active substance, once played a specific control role in plant protection. Now that its registration has expired, related bio-pesticide products with this bacterium as the core ingredient have to withdraw from the EU market. The 8 chemical or mixture-type active substances — Dodecylmorpholine, Fatty acid methyl esters (C8 - C10), Flubendiamide, Cyantraniliprole, Cyclaniliprole, Lambda-cyhalothrin, Pyraclostrobin, and Terpene mixture QRD-460 — have also not been spared. For example, Flubendiamide, previously highly effective in pest control and widely used in plant protection programs for various crops, its withdrawal from the market may lead to a certain gap in pest control for some crops, requiring companies to find alternative solutions as soon as possible.

One active substance is nearing expiry, with no support or withdrawn application leading to withdrawal

As of July 2026, one active substance will also be withdrawn from the EU market due to a lack of support for re-evaluation or a withdrawn re-evaluation application before the expiry date, further intensifying changes in the EU pesticide market for active substances.

This active substance is Flutolanil. Its approval expiry date is currently not clear, but from the current re-evaluation progress, its future in the EU market is basically determined. The withdrawal of Flutolanil-related products will further change the competitive landscape of the EU plant protection product market and will also prompt downstream users to re-select suitable plant protection products.

8 active substances pending re-evaluation, scheduled to enter the re-evaluation process

According to the EU pesticide review plan, active ingredients need to submit re-evaluation applications three years before their validity expires. As of July 2026, 8 active substances are scheduled to enter the re-evaluation process, and the future direction of these 8 active substances has attracted widespread attention from the industry.

These 8 active substances include Methoxyfenozide, Fenpicoxamid, Metschnikowia fructicola strain NRRL Y-27328, Cypermethrin, Beauveria bassiana strain IM389521, Beauveria bassiana strain PPRI 5339, Fluxapyroxad, Fluazinam, and Florpyrauxifen-benzyl.

For these active substances pending re-evaluation, relevant companies are actively preparing various materials required for re-evaluation applications, including safety assessment reports, efficacy data, environmental impact assessments, etc.

In addition to the above categories of active substances, one active substance has been listed for discussion at the July 2025 meeting by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF) and is currently awaiting the final decision from the EU. The fate of this active substance is still pending, and its final re-evaluation result will add new content to the EU's management of pesticide active substances.

The EU pesticide active substance re-evaluation process is lengthy and full of uncertainties. The information presented in this article is only as of September 9, 2025, and the final re-evaluation results may change due to various factors. For pesticide companies operating in the EU market, it is necessary to continuously track re-evaluation dynamics, make plans for product replacement and market layout in advance to cope with potential market risks, and ensure the stable development of enterprises in the EU pesticide market.