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Vestaron Corporation

Vestaron Corporation is the only commercial stage peptide based pesticide company.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus

14 Oct 2025

Vestaron appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the European Commissions Call for Evidence on the Food and Feed Safety Simplification Omnibus. Vestaron develops nature-inspired peptide-based biopesticides. Their effectiveness, safety profile, environmental performance, and novel modes of action make them an ideal fit for modern, sustainable agriculture. Our experience bringing this new class of biopesticide to growers in the EU illustrates the significant barriers posed by the current regulatory system. Vestaron's peptide-based products are biodegradable, highly selective, and exempt from residues in North America, where they have been commercially available since 2020.They target specific insect pests while preserving bees, other pollinators and beneficial species. They are broadly as effective, easy to use, and affordable as synthetics, and yet have the environmental and safety profiles of a biological. Spear LEP, Vestaron's first product, has had excellent farm-level results over the six seasons since its introduction in North America. In 2022, Vestaron applied for EU authorization under Regulation 1107/2009. Since then, and prior to full authorization, tomato producers in Italy, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus have also had very good results in combating Tuta absoluta in tomato production under Article 53 Emergency Use Authorisations in 2024 and 2025. However, we are still awaiting the Draft Assessment Report of our EU application. In fact, the DAR is just a first step; our earliest hope for full authorization is not until 2027. Vestaron has other products in the pipeline, but these will be significantly delayed due to resource constraints in the Risk Assessment process (member states and EFSA). Our experience in trying to get this product into growers' hands in the EU has been both gratifying and frustrating in equal measure. Gratifying in that, as EU and MS regulators, political leaders, and growers have become familiar with this new class of peptide-based insecticides, they have expressed strong recognition that peptides exemplify the kind of innovation needed in order to transition to the sustainable and productive agriculture that Europe requires. Frustrating since the EU authorization system is considerably slower than in other regions of the world. The EU's regulatory system for pesticides was designed for synthetic chemistry, and not for the unique characteristics of biocontrols. This leads to delays and inappropriate risk assessment requirements. And this systemic misalignment means that innovators of these kinds of products will continue to de-prioritize the EU relative to other parts of the world. This has negative consequences for the toolbox available to European farmers and for their ability to transition toward greater sustainability while maintaining productivity. To conclude: Vestaron supports the most recent positions and policy requests of industry sectoral group IBMA and specifically the five key actions identified in the IBMA and COPA-COGECA Joint Roadmap on the future of sustainable plant protection in the European Union (https://mailings.ibma-global.org/j8r4w6e1b6/2841401294558598337/i0h0/). We wish especially to emphasize the urgent need to clarify the definition of biocontrol Plant Protection Products in the EU in order to send the message to innovators that the EU is serious about enabling innovation. Peptide-based biopesticides should be explicitly included in this updated biocontrol definition.
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Meeting with Norbert Lins (Member of the European Parliament) and Syngenta Crop Protection AG

3 Sept 2025 · Zulassung biologischer Pflanzenschutzmittel

Meeting with Joanna Stawowy (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)

5 Jul 2023 · Discussion on the peptides and the steps taken by Vestaron to make the environment safer and tackle pesticide resistance. Current SUR negotiations and the future of EU pesticide legislation. Concerns about the long authorisation procedure for PPPs.

Meeting with Irène Tolleret (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Jul 2023 · Pesticides

Meeting with Erik Poulsen (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Mar 2023 · SUR

Meeting with Sylvia Limmer (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Deutscher Weinbauverband e.V.

29 Mar 2023 · Pflanzenschutzmittelverordnung (SUR)

Meeting with Jan Huitema (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

26 Jan 2023 · Sustainable use of plant protection products

Meeting with Asger Christensen (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Jan 2023 · Biopesticides