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Navigating a more cumbersome regulatory approval environment

The head of marketing for Syngenta Crop Protection says there have been significant changes in the EPA’s product approval process. Jeff Cecil says, “The biggest change has been the delays and having a very long process to get through.”

He tells Brownfield the delays aren’t product-specific. “It really boils down to a lack of resources at the EPA,” he says.  

He says the Endangered Species Act has been another hurdle for product approvals to clear. “As they started to implement these changes, it puts everything under a different scrutiny,” he says. “There’s a very unpredictable nature to it because we’re in the midst of seeing what they’re building as we introduce new registrations.” 

Cecil says these delays could hinder farmers’ ability to get products when they need them most.  “The people and the companies that are investing for future innovative products is becoming smaller and smaller pool of people,” he says.  “Because you have a higher cost and a longer time to to have your money tied up.”