New Regulations to Be Issued: Ten Categories of High-Risk Pesticides to Be Completely Banned from Online Sales
On September 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' Department of Crop Production released the "Negative List for Online Pesticide Sales (2026 Edition)" for public comment. What appears to be a routine policy update is in fact a clarion call for the standardized rectification of agricultural input e-commerce. The online pesticide sales industry may bid farewell to the dividend period of loose regulation and formally enter a new stage of refined, standardized, and list-based compliance governance.
The negative list published this time adopts the scientific regulatory approach of "categorized control and risk control," precisely delineating prohibited zones for online sales. The new rules clearly state that, except for pesticides for daily household hygiene use, ten categories of high-risk pesticides are completely banned from online sales, covering nationally banned pesticides and restricted-use pesticides, moderately and highly toxic pesticide formulations, plant growth regulators, smoke generators (fumigants), glass-packaged pesticides, as well as pesticides restricted to specific regions or use abroad and high-risk ingredient formulations. Simply put, low-toxicity, safe, and risk-controllable compliant pesticides may be sold online as normal, while high-risk pesticides that are difficult to handle and cause serious harm if misused will completely withdraw from online self-service transactions and return to specialized offline channels.
The core value of this policy upgrade lies in achieving a model innovation in the regulation of online pesticide sales, upgrading from the past single "qualification review" to dual control of "qualification + product." In the past, regulators only checked whether merchants held business licenses; as long as the documents were complete, high-risk pesticides could flow into the online market, creating numerous safety hazards. The negative list, with product risk as the core yardstick, clearly defines the boundaries of online business, giving regulatory enforcement a clear basis and market operators clear rules. This "permitted unless prohibited" governance model both firmly safeguards the pesticide safety bottom line and preserves market space for compliant enterprises.
With the implementation of the new rules, the imbalance between online and offline pesticide regulation will improve, and the business models of various market players will be profoundly affected.
For e-commerce platforms, the era of traffic-first operations has come to an end, and primary responsibility has become the core assessment standard. In the future, platforms will no longer be mere transaction carriers; they must establish a sound product admission review system, strictly verify key information such as merchants' qualifications, pesticide toxicity, and formulation categories, and proactively block banned products. Non-compliant merchants and livestream rooms that survive on price wars, fake orders and hype, and compliance edge-playing will be gradually eliminated, while compliant merchants that deepen agricultural technology services and focus on product quality will embrace greater development opportunities.
For agricultural input distributors, the two separate online and offline business systems need to be thoroughly rebuilt. The old model of arbitrarily selling plant growth regulators and moderately or highly toxic pesticides by exploiting loose online regulation will no longer work. After the new rules take effect, high-risk pesticides may only be sold in offline stores, while only low-toxicity compliant formulations may be sold online, and disguised private transactions through short-video outreach, private community groups, etc. are strictly prohibited. This change forces distributors to break free from the homogeneous predicament of low-price competition and to deepen core services such as plant protection technology and customized medication plans, re-highlighting the professional service value of offline stores.
The vast number of growers are the most direct beneficiaries of the new rules. In the short term, some pesticides cannot be purchased online, slightly reducing procurement convenience; but from the perspective of long-term safe production, this is the most solid safety guarantee. Pesticides are typical compound agricultural inputs of "product + technology"; online self-service purchases lack professional field diagnosis, targeted recommendations, and dosage guidance, making medication errors highly likely. Assigning high-risk pesticides to offline channels, through real-name registration and face-to-face professional guidance, can maximize the avoidance of problems such as crop damage, yield loss, and human or livestock poisoning, comprehensively protecting agricultural production safety and farmers' vital interests.
Smooth implementation of the policy requires sound supporting mechanisms and buffer space. Going forward, it will be necessary to further connect the new rules with existing systems such as the "List of Banned and Restricted Pesticides" to avoid policy conflicts and regulatory gaps. At the same time, whole-process rules for platform review, merchant notification, market sampling inspections, and penalties for violations should be refined to build a closed-loop regulatory system. In addition, for compliant enterprises that have already established online businesses, a reasonable transition period should be set to avoid market shocks caused by abrupt policy changes and ensure a smooth industry transformation.
Overall, this negative list serves as a "navigator" for the standardized development of agricultural input e-commerce. From now on, the online agricultural input track must focus on low-toxicity, safe, compliant products and professional agricultural technology services; offline channels will take on high-risk categories and achieve value upgrading through professional services. With online and offline channels fulfilling their respective roles in complementary coordination, the space for regulatory arbitrage will be completely eliminated. For the entire pesticide industry, only by proactively adapting to the new rules, operating in compliance, and deepening services can companies gain a firm foothold in the industry's transformation and use standardized development to build a solid foundation for food security and agricultural product safety.
On September 16, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' Department of Crop Production released the "Negative List for Online Pesticide Sales (2026 Edition)" for public comment. What appears to be a routine policy update is in fact a clarion call for the standardized rectification of agricultural input e-commerce. The online pesticide sales industry may bid farewell to the dividend period of loose regulation and formally enter a new stage of refined, standardized, and list-based compliance governance.
The negative list published this time adopts the scientific regulatory approach of "categorized control and risk control," precisely delineating prohibited zones for online sales. The new rules clearly state that, except for pesticides for daily household hygiene use, ten categories of high-risk pesticides are completely banned from online sales, covering nationally banned pesticides and restricted-use pesticides, moderately and highly toxic pesticide formulations, plant growth regulators, smoke generators (fumigants), glass-packaged pesticides, as well as pesticides restricted to specific regions or use abroad and high-risk ingredient formulations. Simply put, low-toxicity, safe, and risk-controllable compliant pesticides may be sold online as normal, while high-risk pesticides that are difficult to handle and cause serious harm if misused will completely withdraw from online self-service transactions and return to specialized offline channels.
The core value of this policy upgrade lies in achieving a model innovation in the regulation of online pesticide sales, upgrading from the past single "qualification review" to dual control of "qualification + product." In the past, regulators only checked whether merchants held business licenses; as long as the documents were complete, high-risk pesticides could flow into the online market, creating numerous safety hazards. The negative list, with product risk as the core yardstick, clearly defines the boundaries of online business, giving regulatory enforcement a clear basis and market operators clear rules. This "permitted unless prohibited" governance model both firmly safeguards the pesticide safety bottom line and preserves market space for compliant enterprises.