The process of registering a plant protection product, as required by the biocides legislation, quickly proved to be a burden for the SME. CEO Aimo Naapuri decided to voice his concerns via Enterprise Europe Network.
Founded in 1944, Oy Neko Ab is a family-owned business that is a producer and retailer of gardening products. The company has a wide offering of fertilizers, plant conditioners and biocides for both household and professional use.
The company wanted to register a plant-based and environmentally friendly pesticide. The current registration process for new active substances required by the current biocides legislation proved to be burdensome and costly for the SME. “In addition to research costs, which can rise up to tens of thousands of euros, the process requires a great deal of labour and commitment. “This proved to be unreasonably difficult for us, and the product is no longer found in our offering.”, states Aimo Naapuri. Helsinki Region Chamber of Commerce, part of Enterprise Europe Network, forwarded this message to the European Commission through the SME Feedback Tool. “The safety of substances is a priority, but the system should also enable small and medium sized companies to operate within the framework that should be reasonable in nature. This is the case especially when it comes to products that are produced from natural ingredients.”, says Aimo Naapuri.
The regulation on biocides renews in September 2013, when the new EU regulation comes into effect. Enterprise Europe Network advices confidentially companies on matters related to EU funding, legal issues and internationalization and report to the EU Commission on the problems they face in the Internal Market. The purpose of the feedback service is to simplify and improve Internal Market legislation and to ensure that future decisions take into better account the knowledge and experience of companies. The companies using the service are not identifiable to the Commission as it is important to maintain confidence.