Extension of 19 pesticides in the EU: what manufacturers and farmers must do in 2026

Key data

Nineteen active substances in plant protection products widely used in European agriculture —including deltamethrin, tebuconazole, lambda-cyhalothrin, MCPA and metaldehyde— maintain their legal coverage thanks to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1421, published and in force since 1 July 2026. The measure amends Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011 and responds to accumulated delays in the re-evaluation processes of these substances at European level.

Without this extension, plant protection products containing these substances would have lost regulatory protection, forcing their immediate withdrawal from the market. The economic impact for the European agricultural and plant protection sector would have been very significant.

What does this regulation establish?

Regulation 2026/1421 amends the annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/2011, which is the European register of active substances approved for use in plant protection products. The amendment consists of extending the approval periods of the 19 substances listed below, whose validity was about to expire before the European Commission could complete its technical and scientific re-evaluation.

The 19 extended active substances are:

The extension does not constitute a new definitive approval: it simply extends the period during which these active substances may continue to be marketed legally while the re-evaluation process is completed. Once that re-evaluation is concluded, the Commission will decide whether to approve, restrict or withdraw each substance.

Economic and operational impact

From an operational perspective, the extension is good news in the short term: it avoids forced withdrawal of products from the market and ensures business continuity. However, it generates specific obligations that should not be ignored.

• Manufacturers: must review that the registrations of their plant protection products reflect the new approval periods for each active substance. An outdated registration can generate problems in inspections or in the renewal of national authorizations.
• Distributors: must ensure that the products they market continue to have legal coverage under the new deadlines. Selling a product with an expired active substance has legal and commercial consequences.
• Farmers: the impact is indirect but real: the continuity of these active substances guarantees access to essential crop protection tools. An unplanned withdrawal would have meant seeking technical and economic alternatives urgently.

The real economic risk is not in the extension itself, but in failing to update registrations or operating with documentation misaligned with the new deadlines established by Regulation 2026/1421.

Who does it affect?

• Manufacturers and authorization holders of plant protection products containing any of the 19 extended active substances.
• Distributors and agricultural wholesalers that market products with these substances in any EU Member State.
• Farmers and agricultural holdings
• Technical advisors and agricultural consultants who must update their plant protection treatment recommendations.
• National competent authorities responsible for the authorization and control of plant protection products in each Member State.

Practical example

A Spanish company manufacturing an insecticide whose main active substance is deltamethrin had expected its European approval to expire before the Commission completed the re-evaluation. Without Regulation 2026/1421, that product would have lost its legal coverage on the expiration date: it could not have been marketed or legally used in any EU Member State.

Thanks to the extension, the product maintains its legal status. However, the manufacturer must now update the registration documentation to reflect the new approval period and communicate it to its distributors and customers. If it does not do so, it may face problems in audits, national authorization renewals or commercial claims.

The same scenario applies to a farmer using metaldehyde as a molluscicide or MCPA as a herbicide: the extension guarantees that they can continue to purchase and apply these products legally, provided that the manufacturer has correctly updated their registrations.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify which own products contain any of the 19 extended active substances. Review the complete catalog and cross-reference it with the list in Regulation 2026/1421.
2. Update the registration files of each product to reflect the new approval periods established by the regulation. This is especially critical for manufacturers and authorization holders.
3. Communicate the changes to the distribution chain. Distributors and sales points must know that products remain legal under the new deadlines, to avoid unnecessary withdrawals or commercial blocks.
4. Monitor the progress of re-evaluations. The extension is temporary: when the European Commission concludes the re-evaluation of each substance, it may approve, restrict or withdraw it. Companies must be prepared for change scenarios.
5. Consult with the national competent authority if there is any doubt about the impact of the extension on national authorizations for specific products.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=CELEX:32026R1421