Speaking to AgTechNavigator at the sidelines of the recent World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco, Biotalys CEO Kevin Helash said: “The new Trump administration and the infrastructure changes he is making at the federal level is making the regulatory environment more uncertain. There are reductions coming in the federal workforce. We don’t know what the exact impact is gonna be on the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] which governs our products. So we are keeping a close eye on the devlopments there and knock on wood there won’t be any negative impact.”
Global company Biotalys is developing protein-based biocontrol solutions to replace chemical pesticides.
Headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, it also operates a North American subsidiary in North Carolina, USA, to support market introduction and regulatory processes in the United States.
There are also fears about the impact of Trump’s tariffs at the farm-gate level in the US, Helash revealed.
“The worst case scenario for our industry as that farmers retrench back to the must-haves: fertiliser, seed, fuel and that the nice to haves which in some cases may be some biologicals products, they may turn to a more risk averse approach and delay those decisions.”
The sector is awaiting to see the full impact from the tariffs.
On a more positive note, Helash said the time maybe be ripe for more majors to enter the crop protection sector via acquisitions.
Watch the interview below.
