Today, Biotalys NV , a transformative food and crop protection company, announces that it has submitted its first protein-based biocontrol, Evoca™, to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States for approval. Pending EPA registration, this biocontrol will offer U.S. fruit and vegetable growers a new way to combat major diseases to maximize yields and extend the shelf life after harvest of produce with substantially lower residues.

“Biotalys is thrilled to have begun the EPA registration process for its first product. While Evoca targets diseases like Botrytis cinerea and powdery mildew, we are leveraging the flexibility of our technology platform to advance a broad pipeline of products with new modes of action that will safely and reliably address key crop pests and diseases across the food value chain,” commented Luc Maertens, COO of Biotalys.

Evoca will help growers effectively control key pathogens in the field, as well as in the food value chain to protect fruits and vegetables post harvest, extending shelf life and reducing decay and food loss. With its new mode of action and favourable safety profile, Evoca provides growers with additional rotational options to manage resistance in a more sustainable way.

The submission follows Biotalys’ successful completion of an extensive field product development program and regulatory studies on Evoca. More than 200 field and greenhouse trials globally demonstrated high consistency in effective control of key pathogens in fruit and vegetables crops. With this submission and pending regulatory approvals, Biotalys is on track to introduce Evoca to select regions in the U.S. market in late 2022.

Biotalys will proceed with international registrations on its own, maintaining full ownership of all rights. Aligned with the go-to-market strategy for Evoca, the submission in the United States will be followed by a submission in the European Union. Major agricultural markets in Latin America and Asia are in scope for future registrations.

Evoca™: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States and is not being offered for sale.

About Biotalys

Biotalys is a rapidly growing and transformative food and crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrol solutions, shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply. Based on its groundbreaking technology platform, Biotalys has developed a broad pipeline of effective and safe candidate products that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Combining the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals, Biotalys goal is to provide ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium, Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million ($66m USD) to date from specialist international investors. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.