In the EU, all pesticides sold or used must be registered first before they can be placed on the EU market. The most important pesticide regulation is the Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 (also known as Plant Protection Products Regulation, which lays down both rules for the approval of active substances (including micro-organisms), safeners and synergists, and the authorization of plant protection product formulations.

Pesticides sold and used in the United States are strictly regulated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and state regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for managing pesticide registration. If a pesticide product is exported to the United States and intended for use within the country, it must be registered with the US EPA first according to Section 136 of FIFRA, unless it is exempted.

On November 4, 2025, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released a draft on the Regulations for the Registration Management of Pesticides for Overseas Use Only for public consultation. The proposed rules aim to streamline the process for registering pesticides that are produced in China solely for export.

The final versions of five regulations on pesticide registration have recently been released. The regulatory update has undergone a multi-year review process. Beginning in April 2022, China's Pesticide Management Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MOA) solicited feedback on these pesticide regulations for the first time. This was followed by a second draft released for comment in early 2023 and a third notification in November 2024. The process has now concluded with the official issuance of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Order No. 3 and Announcement No. 925. These five regulations will come into effect from January 1, 2026.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) defines a "pesticide device" an instrument or contrivance that work using physical or mechanical means and do not contain any active pesticide ingredients, but claim to kill, inactivate, or inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses, or fungi; reduce or eliminate microorganisms or allergens in the air or water; repel pests such as birds, subterranean animals, and rodents; or kill or trap insects/pests. Pesticide devices sold to the United States require establishment registration with EPA and must comply with labelling requirements.

In EU, application of technical equivalence (TE) assessment is the easiest way to gain market access for your pesticide technical materials or active substances. If the new source (i.e., your product) has the same or less harmful effects due to its impurities compared to the reference source of an approved technical material, then the new source can be considered (eco)toxicologically equivalent to the reference source. Once the TE application is approved, you can sell your technical materials to all EU Member States.

On July 21, 2025, the U.S. EPA announced a public comment period for a proposed electronic system to track compliance with bilingual pesticide label requirements.

CIRS has summarized and analyzed the situation of approved TGAIs in China up to December 24, 2024. In 2024, a total of 167 TGAIs were registered, nearly matching the cumulative number of registrations over the past five years. The chlorantraniliprole got 23 registrations. Herbicides remain the top category without question. Among new active ingredients, microbial pesticides have the highest proportion. Shandong Weifang Rainbow has obtained the largest number of registrations.

In 2024, a total of 182 export only pesticides were approved in China, including 43 technical grade active ingredients (TGAIs) and 139 formulations. The approved new export only registration active ingredient including aclonifen, quinoxyfen, flufenoximacil, flusulfinam, fluchloraminopyr, Fluindapyr, cyproflanilide, Dichlorprop-P, and fluazaindolizine. Cambodia, Australia and Brazil remain the top destination countries for export-only applications.

To further enhance the pesticide management system, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' Pesticide Management Office, in collaboration with the Institute Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China (ICAMA), developed and released a series of policies in 2024. These policies align with pesticide development and environmental protection requirements, particularly through the implementation of five draft regulations, including the "Pesticide Registration Management Measures."