Agriculture

EU REGI Committee Amendments 471–546 to CAP Support Implementation Proposal 2028–2034

In May 2026, the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee tabled amendments 471–546 to the proposed CAP Implementation Support Regulation for 2028–2034, reshaping provisions on LEADER funding, integrated territorial instruments, farm stewardship controls and land-monitoring systems. If carried into the final regulation, these changes would strengthen data-driven oversight of farm stewardship and climate-environment obligations while expanding support for integrated rural development, affecting how Member States design CAP plans, monitoring infrastructure and penalties for non-compliance.

25 May 2026, 18:22europarl.europa.euEuropean Union

Ukraine Ministry of Economy Publishes Draft Resolution on Permits for Aerial Application of Plant Protection Products

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy has opened a 15-day public consultation on a draft Cabinet of Ministers resolution that would formalise how permits are issued for aerial application of plant protection products. If adopted, the measure would tighten and clarify permitting rules for aerial pesticide use under Ukraine’s plant protection law, raising compliance expectations for agricultural operators and aerial spraying service providers.

25 May 2026, 18:22me.gov.uaUkraine

France – DRAAF Centre-Val de Loire Mandates 2026 Anti-Vector Treatments Against Flavescence Dorée in Vineyards

France’s DRAAF Centre-Val de Loire has issued a 04 May 2026 regulatory notice mandating insecticide treatments against the flavescence dorée leafhopper vector in specified vineyard nurseries and demarcated zones for the 2026 campaign. Vine nurseries and growers in affected areas must schedule three larvicide rounds in late May and June, use only authorised products, and integrate bee-protection and surveillance obligations into their plant health programmes to avoid non-compliance and disease spread.

25 May 2026, 18:20draaf.centre-val-de-loire.agriculture.gouv.frFrance

Switzerland Validates Bees Initiative and Opens Signature Collection Until November 2027

Switzerland has cleared the "Bees Initiative" for signature collection, publishing the constitutional initiative text on pollination by insects and setting a deadline of November 2027 to gather voter support. If ultimately approved, the new Article 78a would require federal legislation within four years to promote pollinator diversity and habitats, signalling possible future shifts in Swiss biodiversity and agricultural policy direction.

25 May 2026, 17:21fedlex.admin.chSwitzerland

EU EFSA FEEDAP Panel Confirms Safety but Cannot Confirm Efficacy of Xygest HT Xylanase Feed Additive for All Porcine Species

In May 2026, EFSA's FEEDAP Panel adopted a new opinion concluding that the Xygest HT endo-1,4-β-xylanase feed additive is safe for all porcine species at proposed use levels, while efficacy across all categories remains unproven. This clarifies safety for potential EU authorisation under the feed additives regime, but feed additive manufacturers and premix/feed businesses still face uncertainty on claims and market uptake until additional positive efficacy trials in pigs for fattening and gestating sows are generated and acted on by the European Commission.

25 May 2026, 17:14efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.comEuropean Union

Italy Adopts Legislative Decree 80/2026 to Implement EU Nature Restoration Regulation

Italy has enacted Legislative Decree 80/2026 to implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, with entry into force on 31 May 2026. This embeds EU nature restoration requirements in Italy’s legal framework and clarifies ministerial responsibilities, signalling that ecosystem restoration priorities will increasingly shape national environmental policy and planning.

25 May 2026, 17:11gazzettaufficiale.itItalyEuropean Union

Castilla y León Revises Environmental Authorisation for Tejado Pig Farm to Align With BAT Conclusions

Castilla y León has revised the integrated environmental authorisation for a 3,450-place pig finishing unit in Tejado (Soria) to embed EU best available techniques for intensive pig rearing and approve additional slurry storage and biosecurity investments under Order MAV/426/2026. The tighter conditions on manure management, air emissions, groundwater protection and audited environmental management systems materially raise compliance expectations for intensive livestock operators in the region and signal more stringent future permitting reviews.

25 May 2026, 17:10bocyl.jcyl.esSpain

Environment Agency Secures Conviction After Digestate Spill Kills Over 1,600 Fish in River Ottery

In May 2026 a Cornish farmer was convicted and ordered to pay £3,765 after a digestate spill from his farm polluted the River Ottery, killing an estimated 1,610 fish under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. The case highlights the Environment Agency’s readiness to prosecute poor slurry and digestate management, signalling that farms and biogas operations must strengthen containment and rapid incident reporting to avoid serious environmental damage and financial penalties.

25 May 2026, 17:10gov.ukUnited Kingdom

EU PAFF Plant Health Committee Publishes 8–9 June 2026 Agenda on New Plant Pest Measures

The European Commission’s PAFF Plant Health Committee has published the 8–9 June 2026 agenda signalling imminent committee opinions on several draft implementing regulations covering emergency plant pest measures, new controls for Meloidogyne graminicola, import derogations and updates to existing plant pest prohibitions. These votes are likely to trigger near-term tightening of EU phytosanitary rules for specific crops, plant materials and trade pathways, so agrifood operators and plant health teams should monitor outcomes closely and anticipate adjustments to sourcing, certification and inspection programmes.

25 May 2026, 15:49food.ec.europa.euEuropean Union

New Hampshire Legislature Sets Conference Committee Hearing on PFAS Agriculture and Drinking Water Bill HB1275

New Hampshire lawmakers have scheduled a 26 May 2026 conference committee hearing on PFAS bill HB1275, which would grant farmers PFAS-related liability protection, tighten biosolids land-application controls, adjust PFAS product exemptions, and redefine the PFAS drinking water standard. If enacted, the measure would introduce new PFAS limits and testing duties from 2027–2028 while shielding agricultural operators from certain contamination claims, so farms, biosolids handlers, and water utilities should monitor the conference outcome and prepare for potential changes to land-application and drinking water compliance strategies.

25 May 2026, 15:48gc.nh.govUnited States

France – Bourgogne‑Franche‑Comté Opens 2026 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones Consultations

Regional authorities in Bourgogne‑Franche‑Comté have opened institutional and public consultations on the draft 2026 revision of nitrate vulnerable zones across the Rhône‑Méditerranée, Seine‑Normandie and Loire‑Bretagne river basins, ahead of new zoning entering into force on 1 September 2026. This will determine where nitrate action programmes apply from 2026 onwards, so agricultural operators and their advisers in affected areas should review the draft maps and consider engaging in the consultations while windows remain open.

25 May 2026, 15:47bourgogne-franche-comte.developpement-durable.gouv.frFrance

Ukrainian Ministry of Economy Presents Roadmap For Dairy Sector EU Market Integration

Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy has presented a roadmap to harmonise the dairy sector with EU veterinary, phytosanitary and food safety rules, paving the way for fuller access to the EU single market. This signals intensifying legislative alignment for Ukrainian dairy producers and exporters, who should anticipate phased regulatory changes, higher compliance expectations, and new opportunities if they can meet EU-level standards.

25 May 2026, 15:47me.gov.uaUkraineEuropean Union

EU Commission Adopts Implementing Regulation Amending Minimum Check Frequencies for Plant Imports

In May 2026 the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation to further amend the EU rules on minimum identity and physical check frequencies for consignments of plants, plant products and related objects entering the Union. This will require plant health authorities at EU border control posts to update inspection programmes once the act is published in the Official Journal, with potential impacts on clearance times and compliance planning for traders in affected commodities.

25 May 2026, 15:46ec.europa.euEuropean Union

EU Council Suspends Customs Tariffs on Certain Nitrogen Fertilisers for One Year

In May 2026 the EU Council decided to suspend customs tariffs for one year on key nitrogen-based fertilisers used in EU agriculture, subject to a quota and excluding imports from Russia and Belarus. This temporary tariff measure should reduce input costs for farmers and fertiliser producers while signalling a strategic shift in fertiliser sourcing away from Russia and Belarus, with implications for supply chains, pricing, and trade planning.

25 May 2026, 15:44consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

EU AGRIFISH Council Takes Note Of Concerns On Plant Protection Product Record-Keeping

Draft minutes of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council confirm that Member States raised concerns about burdensome record-keeping requirements for plant protection products at the 27 April 2026 meeting. While no decisions or legal changes were recorded, the issue's formal discussion at Council level signals ongoing political pressure that could influence future simplification of EU plant protection product reporting rules.

25 May 2026, 15:41data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union

California Assembly Amends AB 1603 PFAS Pesticide Phase-Out Bill Ahead Of Third Reading

California is advancing AB 1603, a bill that would phase out PFAS pesticide ingredients in agricultural-use pesticides through new registration bans, restricted-material controls from 2028, and broad prohibitions targeting 2030 and 2035. If enacted, this would force pesticide manufacturers and agricultural users in California to plan for alternative chemistries, permit-based use of PFAS pesticides from 2028, and complete removal of PFAS-containing agricultural pesticides by 2035.

25 May 2026, 15:38leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

California Assembly Further Amends PFAS Pesticide Bill AB 1603

On 21 May 2026, the California Assembly further amended PFAS pesticide bill AB 1603 at third reading, clarifying that its PFAS controls apply to pesticides registered for agricultural use and exclude pet and livestock treatments while keeping the existing phase-out dates. If enacted in its current form, the bill would bar new PFAS pesticide registrations, classify PFAS-containing agricultural pesticides as restricted materials from 2028, phase out 23 named PFAS actives by 2030, and ban all PFAS pesticide ingredients in California agriculture by 2035, requiring pesticide manufacturers and growers to plan substitutions and registration changes well in advance.

25 May 2026, 15:38leginfo.legislature.ca.govUnited States

Switzerland FSVO Grants Emergency Authorisation for Spinosad and Acetamiprid Plant Protection Products

Switzerland’s food safety authority has issued a binding general decision granting temporary emergency authorisations for several spinosad- and acetamiprid-based plant protection products on key vegetable crops until late November 2026. Professional users must strictly follow new PPE, buffer-zone, bee-protection and treatment-limit conditions, which will shape plant protection planning and compliance for the 2026 growing season.

25 May 2026, 15:36fedlex.data.admin.chSwitzerland

EU Corrigendum To Regulation (EU) 2026/471 On Wine Sector Marketing Rules And Spirits Labelling

The EU has issued a corrigendum to Regulation (EU) 2026/471 clarifying that only Article 1(10)(a) on certain wine and spirit labelling changes benefits from a deferred application date of 19 September 2027, with publication in the Official Journal on 22 May 2026. Compliance teams for wine producers and spirit drink manufacturers should adjust implementation plans so that only the obligations in Article 1(10)(a) are treated as deferred, while other marketing and labelling measures under the amended CAP and geographical indications regulations follow the original timetable.

25 May 2026, 15:36boe.esEuropean Union

EU Agriculture Council: Austria And Allies Urge Reassessment Of Soya High ILUC-Risk Classification

Austria, backed by Hungary, Poland and Romania, has put an item on the 26 May 2026 Agriculture and Fisheries Council agenda challenging the Commission’s delegated act that classifies soya as a high indirect land-use-change risk crop under EU renewable energy rules. If the current ILUC classification stands, soya-based biofuels from EU-grown crops could face tighter caps or phase-downs in renewable energy targets, increasing strategic risk for European crushers, biodiesel producers and farmers while signalling potential future adjustments to the ILUC framework.

25 May 2026, 15:28data.consilium.europa.euEuropean Union