It is not surprising to arable farmers in recent years that more and more crop protection products are disappearing. 2025 is no exception to this rule. Crops are coming under further pressure because fewer and fewer herbicides, insecticides and fungicides are available. We list the biggest changes and challenges for the coming season.
Both crop specialist Jacob Swart of Agrifirm and business advisor arable farming Jan Salomons of Delphy emphasize that the loss of crop protection products is mainly due to the strict European regulations. There is therefore a great need for alternatives and innovations.
weed control
With the disappearance of products such as Dual Gold, (S-metolachlor), Safari and Safari DuoActive (triflusulfuron-methyl), weed control in crops such as sugar beet, chicory, endive and onions has become considerably more complex. "Dual Gold played a crucial role in soil herbicides, while Safari was widely used in sugar beet and chicory or endive to tackle persistent weeds such as chamomile," Salomons explains. "Now that these products are no longer available, the emphasis is increasingly shifting to mechanical weed control, which in turn requires more labour intensity and strict timing. Although alternative products, such as Venzar in sugar beet, offer some relief, they cannot always guarantee the same broad effectiveness."
The situation is further complicated by increasing challenges in the control of fungal diseases. The use of the fungicide Fandango, which contains fluoxastrobin and prothioconazole, has been significantly restricted in onion cultivation. At the same time, the approval of Zorvec Endavia, an effective agent against downy mildew, has been discontinued. Salomons indicates that these changes make the control of fungal diseases more difficult, while the risks of increasing resistance in the remaining agents entail additional complications.
insect control
Unfortunately, the situation is not much better in the control of insects. For example, flonicamid, processed in the agent Tepekki, remains one of the few remaining options for controlling aphids in sugar beets. The limited range of agents increases the risk of resistance. In onion cultivation, the loss of Batavia (still used up in 2025) against thrips is a challenge. Benevia is still available, but the high costs and stricter regulations for the application of this agent make it difficult to use it widely.
Resistance management is becoming an increasing headache for growers. Many crop protection products belong to the same chemical groups, which increases the chance of resistance. Growers of crops such as sugar beets and onions must therefore pay more attention to alternating products and carefully planning treatments to ensure effectiveness. Accurate use of products has become essential to prevent resistance problems.
New resources
Despite the challenges, there are also bright spots and innovations within the sector. The introduction of Mavrik – a new pyrethroid that has now been approved for potatoes, cereals and carrots, among other things – offers perspective. In addition, the recent approval of Zampro Plus opens up new possibilities for the control of phytophthora in potatoes. In onion cultivation, agents based on potassium phosphonate are also being developed, which offers hope for better resistance management against downy mildew. The approval for this in seed onions will probably take some time. Frutogard has now been approved for onions, with the exception of seed onions.
The strict requirements are the result of the European approval policy, which is aimed at eliminating danger as much as possible, not at how great the risk actually is. The aim of the European Farm to Fork strategy is to limit the environmental impact. The emphasis is therefore on environmental and health risks, including hormone disrupting substances. As a result, many products disappear from the market. These stricter guidelines will remain in place in the coming years. Another challenge is the stricter regulations within the Water Framework Directive. Due to exceedances of standards, important crop protection products are in danger of disappearing. Swart emphasises that three quarters of the assessed products have already been banned since 2018.
Advantage of BOS
Decision Support Systems (SSS) are increasingly important for farmers. According to Swart, this provides valuable insight to deploy the remaining resources as effectively as possible and with optimal timing of applications. In addition, they provide early warnings for diseases and pests, allowing for more targeted intervention. SSS support sustainable crop protection and help to get the most out of the available resources.