EU governments agreed a negotiating position on food and feed safety simplification on 30 September 2026, extending the policy debate beyond the farmers’ protests of 2024. The current question is how to streamline authorisations while retaining scrutiny of risks, rather than whether those older street demonstrations are happening again.
The Council’s mandate covers plant protection products, biocides, feed additives and certain fermentation products made using genetically modified microorganisms. It is a position for negotiations with the European Parliament, not a completed law.
Longer approvals and additional safeguards
The text would prioritise assessment of biocontrol substances and give unlimited approvals to low-risk active substances and authorisations to the products containing them. Other approvals would have longer periods, with exceptions.
To balance those changes, the mandate includes periodic European Food Safety Authority reviews of scientific literature and monitoring data, alongside a more cautious approach to certain hazardous classifications. The proposal therefore couples simplification with continuing review, rather than eliminating assessment altogether.
From protest demands to legislative detail
The 2024 demonstrations raised concerns about costs, imports and regulatory burdens. The Council subsequently adopted a targeted CAP review in May 2024. That earlier measure and the September 2026 mandate are separate files with different legal scopes.
The distinction matters for businesses planning around the new proposals. A negotiating mandate signals what governments support, but the final text can change through talks. The Council says negotiations will begin once Parliament adopts its position, with the aim of a provisional agreement on the overall package by the end of 2026.
