Phytosanitary approval: backlog cleared by 2032 (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• The Federal Council sets 2032 as the deadline for pending applications
• The backlog has fallen from more than 700 to around 525
• Authorisation fees will increase from 2028
• The plan provides for around 18 million francs by 2032

Key facts

• Date → 25 September 2026
• Location → Bern
• Authorities involved → FSVO, FOEN, FOAG, SECO
• Objective → all pending applications processed by 2032
• Supplementary credit 2027 → 2,8 million francs
• Cost coverage → from 15% toward around 50%
• Deadline for amending the ordinance → end of 2027

Federal decision

In Bern, on 25 September 2026, the Federal Council decided that all pending authorisation applications for plant protection products should be processed within six years. The deadline indicated in the communication is 2032. The measure concerns a federal procedure that precedes market placement: every product must be authorised by the Confederation, which verifies its efficacy and the risks to humans and the environment.

The dossier directly concerns farmers, who need effective and safe products to protect crops from pests or fungal infestations. The assessments are scientific but complex. With limited staffing resources, the number of pending applications increased for several years, and waiting times particularly delayed the market placement of modern plant protection products.

The authorities involved

At the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, the Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, several hundred applications are pending. The Federal Administration has reduced the backlog from more than 700 to around 525 applications, but the Federal Council considers that the pace is still insufficient.

The decision provides for more staff resources, further digitisation of the procedure, better information for applicants on the status of their cases and fewer interfaces between offices. The aim is to make the process more efficient and customer-oriented, while also closing the gaps created when products are no longer available on the market for certain harmful organisms.

The plan provides for around 18 million francs by 2032 for the FSVO and FOAG: 16 million for the FSVO and 2 million for the FOAG. Funding is guaranteed through the ordinary budgeting process. For 2027, the two offices will submit a request for a supplementary credit of 2,8 million to Parliament. From 2028, the necessary resources will have to be offset by an increase in authorisation fees. The FDHA will have to submit an amendment to the ordinance on fees to the Federal Council by the end of 2027.

Operational details

Practical analysis: what changes

The practical value of the measure can be seen on two levels. For farmers, the problem described is not only the wait: emergency approvals are currently being granted for older products, while modern substitutes are still in the approval process. For some harmful organisms, no products are available anymore. Clearing the backlog is therefore linked to availability gaps, without guaranteeing the approval of a specific product.

Four indicators to read together

For anyone submitting an application, the clearest difference concerns funding. Current coverage is only approximately 15 per cent of costs; the Federal Council wants to bring it closer to approximately 50 per cent of the level for EU authorizations. The increase in fees is announced from 2028. The source does not indicate a fee per individual application: it is therefore not possible to calculate the amount payable by an applicant.

The financial schedule must be separated from the individual case. The approximately 18 million francs by 2032 concern investments at USAV and UFAG, while the 2,8 million for 2027 are a supplementary credit request that the two offices will submit to Parliament. Neither amount is indicated as a fee for a single application. For an overview of personal income, calcolatore stipendio cannot turn these figures into an individual charge.

The organizational measures follow the same logic: more digitalization, fewer interfaces and better information on progress should make the process clearer for applicants. However, the release does not indicate a schedule for each case, nor the outcome of a single application. The 2032 objective concerns all pending applications. The text does not quantify any effect on costo della vita in Svizzera either.

Recommended tools

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Key points

How to follow the process

The source makes it possible to construct an operational sequence based on the deadlines indicated, but it does not describe forms, documents or a portal for applications. Therefore, the reader can follow the decision calendar without adding unannounced administrative steps.

Five steps for applicants and operators

1. If an approval application is still pending, consider it part of the backlog that the Federal Council wants to clear by 2032. The communication does not indicate a ranking or an individual deadline.

2. For 2027, distinguish the request for supplementary credit from the approval procedure: USAV and UFAG will submit a total request of 2.8 million francs to Parliament.

3. By the end of 2027, follow the step planned for the DFI, which will have to submit the amendment to the ordinance on fees to the Federal Council. The proposal concerns the degree of cost coverage, currently around 15 per cent.

4. From 2028, take into account the increase in approval fees announced to offset the resources needed. The source does not specify the amount of the individual fee, so it does not allow for a more precise estimate.

5. Use 2032 as the horizon for the overall measure. As part of the process, the Federal Administration will have to strengthen staffing, further digitize the procedure, better inform applicants about the status of their applications and reduce interfaces between offices.

For farmers, the operational interpretation remains linked to product availability: the communication points out that for some harmful organisms there are no longer any products on the market and that emergency authorizations concern older products. It does not indicate which product will be approved, nor when a specific application will receive a decision. This distinction avoids presenting 2032 as a guarantee regarding every individual outcome.

For applicants, the most concrete information announced is the future improvement of progress status and the reduction of steps between offices. The text instead lacks indications on forms, digital channels, required documents or the office responsible for an individual application. The usable reference is therefore the federal timetable: 2027 for the credit and the ordinance on fees, 2028 for financing through fees, 2032 for the clearance target.

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Source: admin.ch