The Scientific Advisory Board for the National Action Plan on Plant Protection has issued a warning: According to the experts, the simplifications to the approval process for plant protection products planned by the European Commission could pose significant risks to human health and the environment. The board—which includes Prof. Dr. Ralf Schäfer of the University of Duisburg-Essen—has submitted a statement to this effect to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

The focus of the criticism is on the European Commission’s so-called "Food and Feed Safety Omnibus“ package. It proposes two fundamental changes: First, active ingredients would be approved indefinitely in the future, rather than being reviewed every ten to fifteen years, as has been the case until now. Second, national product approvals would no longer be regularly updated to reflect the current state of scientific knowledge. In the future, the only relevant factor would be the knowledge available at the time of the EU-wide approval of the active ingredient.

In the Advisory Board’s view, this would weaken key safety mechanisms. Regular reassessments are an essential component of the European precautionary principle. An analysis shows that since 2009, at least 165 synthetic chemical substances have been withdrawn from the European market—often due to new scientific findings regarding risks to the environment or human health. Without mandatory review, such developments might be addressed much later—or not at all—in the future.

The committee is particularly critical of the planned decoupling of national product approvals from the current state of research. Findings regarding potential risks often emerge years after an active ingredient has been initially approved. If these findings were systematically ignored, there would be a risk of a structural gap emerging between regulation and research.

Case law also underscores the importance of new scientific findings. Rulings by the European Court of Justice regarding the active ingredients difenoconazole (2024) and cypermethrin (2025) have made it clear that authorities must incorporate the latest research findings into their risk assessments.

“Anyone who extends the validity of approvals and ignores new scientific findings is severely undermining the European precautionary principle,” warns ecotoxicologist Prof. Dr. Ralf Schäfer of the University of Duisburg-Essen. “Recent years in particular have shown that the risks associated with many active ingredients only become apparent over time.”

Instead, the advisory board advocates for genuine deregulation—for example, through more transparent evaluation procedures and risk assessments that are easier to compare. Simplification is welcome, but not at the expense of a lower level of protection.