The Department for the Economy (DfE), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the Food Standards Agency NI (FSANI) are currently reviewing an EU proposal for a regulation regarding the simplification and strengthening of food and feed safety requirements.
Read more about the proposal.
This regulation may apply in Northern Ireland, subject to the democratic scrutiny mechanisms set out in the Windsor Framework and schedule 6B of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.
What is the proposal?
The proposal forms part of the EU’s legislative simplification package and aims to streamline and modernise a wide suite of food and feed safety rules while maintaining high levels of protection for human and animal health and the environment.
It aims to
- simplify authorisation and renewal procedures for pesticides, biocidal products and feed additives
- update BSE and animal health related controls
- clarify the legal status of products made using genetically modified micro organisms
- increase flexibility in official controls, including at border control posts
Overall, the initiative focuses on reducing administrative burdens for operators and authorities, accelerating access to safer biocontrol alternatives, aligning imported product requirements more closely with EU internal rules, and ensuring more proportionate, science based regulatory oversight.
What does this mean for businesses in Northern Ireland?
For most businesses, particularly in the agri-food and chemicals sectors, the changes are expected to be administrative rather than substantive.
Potential impacts include
- fewer renewal applications for certain biocidal active substances, reducing cost and administrative burden.
- more predictable regulatory arrangements for products already assessed and approved.
- continued high safety and environmental standards, with safeguards retained for higher risk substances
- improved efficiency in EU level authorisation processes.
There is a possibility of short term regulatory divergence between Northern Ireland (applying EU rules) and Great Britain if GB reforms are implemented on a different timetable. In limited cases, this could mean
- a renewal application being required in GB but not in the EU/NI system; and
- some suppliers reassessing whether to support the GB market alone.
Current analysis suggests this risk is likely to be small, and GB authorities are consulting on reforms broadly aligned with the EU approach.
Share your views
Comments, observations or concerns on the proposals above should be sent by email to dfe.eu.legislation@economy-ni.gov.uk
The deadline for submitting comments, observations or concerns is Tuesday 19 May 2026.
