The European Commission has officially extended the approval periods for 18 key agricultural active substances, providing crucial market certainty for products ranging from the widely used fungicide pyraclostrobin to the modern insecticide flupyradifurone. The decision, formalized under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1489* and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, ensures the continued legal availability of these vital inputs while their comprehensive re-assessment procedures are completed.

The regulation, which will take effect 20 days after its publication, offers clear guidance for stakeholders across the agricultural supply chain, from manufacturers to farmers.

A Breakdown of the New Deadlines

The extensions are staggered, with new deadlines set between 2026 and 2029, reflecting the varying timelines of each substance's regulatory review. The new schedule is as follows:

Extended to 2026:

Pyraclostrobin and the plant growth regulator daminozide have their approvals extended to September 15, 2026.

The insecticide buprofezin follows with a new deadline of December 15, 2026.

Extended to 2027:

The herbicide clodinafop is now approved until July 31, 2027.

A notable cluster of biological and newer chemical agents has also received extensions:

Beauveria bassiana strains ATCC 74040 and GHA are extended to September 15, 2027.

Trichoderma asperellum (strain T34), cyflumetofen, Trichoderma atroviride strain I-1237, and two viral insecticides—Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus and Spodoptera littoralis nucleopolyhedrovirus—are all extended to October 15, 2027.

The soil fumigant metam has its approval extended to November 15, 2027.

Extended to 2028 and Later:

The pheromone rescalure is extended to May 18, 2028.

The fungicide ametoctradin is extended to May 31, 2028.

Two important products, flupyradifurone and mandestrobin, received significant extensions to June 9, 2029.

Finally, mandipropamid, the biofungicide Streptomyces lydicus strain WYEC 108, and the closely watched copper compounds are all extended to June 30, 2029.

This systematic extension decision reflects the EU's cautious yet pragmatic approach to pesticide regulation, balancing the need for thorough scientific evaluation with the importance of maintaining stability and predictability in the agricultural market.