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Recent geopolitical developments in the Middle East are reverberating far beyond the region, affecting global energy markets, fertilizer supply chains, and -- ultimately -- the economics of American agriculture. The turbulent and fluid situation illustrates how quickly foreign policy decisions and international conflicts can cascade through interconnected commodity markets, leaving U.S. farmers caught between rising input costs and volatile crop markets. Modern agriculture is deeply dependent on...

This week, I was pleased to welcome back to the studio Jim Aidala, Senior Government Affairs Consultant at B&C and its consulting affiliate, The Acta Group (Acta®) and Claire Hansen, an Associate with B&C and Regulatory Analyst with Acta, to discuss the ever-changing influence of foreign policy on the chemical industry. As we all know, there is a lot going on in the world and much of it may seem somewhat tangential to the chemical industry. On closer inspection, Claire and...

Recent headlines have declared that the Olympics have “banned PFAS,” with athletes reportedly disqualified after testing revealed the presence of so-called “forever chemicals” on their equipment. The reality is more nuanced, and that nuance matters. The policy at issue does not originate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), but with the International Ski Federation (FIS), which governs ski and snowboard competitions under its International Competition Rules (ICR). FIS has...

Current gyrations in foreign policy under the Trump Administration raise potential unintended impacts on the U.S. chemical industry, particularly at the intersection of international regulatory cooperation, global toxics governance, and trade policy. While chemical regulation is often viewed as a domestic exercise, it is shaped materially by international alignment, mutual recognition, and trade-related obligations. Fractures in U.S. relationships with allies and multilateral institutions could...

Download a PDF of the Forecast 2026. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®), and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to share with you our Forecast 2026. Our distinguished global team of chemical experts worked hard to summarize our collective best guess on what to expect in the New Year regarding global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical regulatory and policy...

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) appears to be headed for yet another full-year delay following growing political pressure, concerns about the readiness of the European Commission’s (EC) information technology (IT) systems, and intensifying industry warnings that the current December 30, 2025, compliance deadline is becoming increasingly unrealistic. While the EC has not yet officially postponed the implementation date, the signals coming out of Brussels are clear that an...

On October 14, 2025, the Australia Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) announced that it has initiated an evaluation on the introduction and use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australia under Section 74 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 (IC Act). According to AICIS, the evaluation will review the 522 PFAS listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals. The evaluation will confirm whether the listed PFAS have been introduced in Australia, and if so,...

Download transcript. This week, I sat down with my colleague, L. Claire Hansen, a Legal Intern here at B&C and Regulatory Analyst for The Acta Group (Acta®), B&C’s consulting affiliate, to discuss the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). With its fast-approaching December 30, 2025, effective date, U.S. product exporters to the European Market whose goods contain seven commodities -- cocoa, coffee, cattle, palm oil, soy, wood, and rubber, and those products made from them...

The European Commission (EC) has published a report summarizing comments received during the public consultation for the initiative “Towards a circular, regenerative and competitive bioeconomy.” As reported in our April 1, 2025, blog item, according to the EC, the European Union (EU) Bioeconomy Strategy “marks a significant step forward in harnessing the opportunities of the bioeconomy to support European businesses and drive progress towards the EU’s environmental, climate and...

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), in force since January 1, 2024, mandates that “relevant commodities” linked to deforestation -- including cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, and wood -- must not enter the European Union (EU) market unless documented as deforestation-free. A central pillar of the EUDR is its Country Classification List, placing nations into low-risk, standard-risk, or high-risk categories based on governance quality, deforestation rates, and,...