Pertinent Eco-Solutions, registered in France's Pyrénées-Atlantiques in 2019 and led by Bruno Jactel, a veterinarian and former chief executive of TyraTech, develops insecticides from combinations of plant extracts intended to be as effective as chemical pesticides but safe for people, animals and the environment. Its EIC Accelerator project, VERANO, receives an EU contribution of €2,499,999 towards a total cost of €5,597,994 and runs from July 2024 to June 2028, according to CORDIS. The application sought €2.5 million of grant and €6 million of EIC equity, and set milestones of a first launch in California in 2024, temporary EU market authorisation for sugar beet and vines in 2025, a first launch in Mexico in 2025, and full EU authorisation in 2028, with forecast sales of €24.7 million in 2028.
The project's report says a lead formulation was selected, optimised and "successfully registered under the AgForce brand" in the US after trials on more than 20 specialty crops, that national distributors had taken it on, and that it was in farm stores and online, with a full rollout to professional growers planned for 2026, according to CORDIS. In Europe, Pertinent and its partner De Sangosse ran more than 50 field trials on 20 crops and began the regulatory dossier, but the report calls the EU pathway "lengthy and costly" and expects early sales mainly outside Europe. No EU authorisation has been announced.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Pertinent Eco-Solutions SAS, SIREN 880 182 795
- Registered
- December 2019, Pyrénées-Atlantiques
- President
- Bruno Jactel
- Products
- AgForce crop insecticide, Vetforce and other US brands
- European partner
- De Sangosse, shareholder and exclusive licensee
- Employees in France
- 1 to 2, register band
- EIC funding
- Blended finance, €2.5M grant
Where Pertinent Stands Now
Pertinent's US website sells a range of plant-based insect control products for livestock, horses, gardens and crops, including AgForce Total Insect Concentrate, according to Pertinent. Its co-founders include Jactel and Frank Jusich, former president of Central Life Sciences. In July 2023 the French agricultural group De Sangosse took a stake in the French company and acquired the exclusive European licence for its insecticides and acaricides, according to De Sangosse. The French entity reported revenue of €50,329 and a net profit of €531,147 in 2023, according to the INPI financial ratios dataset.
"Since the EU registration pathway is lengthy and costly, early commercial traction is expected primarily in the U.S. and international markets."
Pertinent, EIC project reportThe Technology: Enhancing Plants' Own Defences
Pertinent optimises the natural insecticidal power of plant extracts through micro-emulsions and dosing. De Sangosse says the products act physically and biologically, work on eggs, larvae and adults, act against insects resistant to conventional insecticides and leave no residues. The project report says the US trials showed they outperformed other plant-based products and caused no damage to crops.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
The project runs until June 2028, so it is too early to judge it. It has delivered a registered US product. The 2025 EU temporary authorisation and Mexican launch it planned have not been announced, and no progress on the €10 million French production plant has been reported.
- US product launchDeliveredAgForce registered.
- EU temporary authorisation, 2025Not announcedDossier under way.
- Mexico launch, 2025UnverifiedNot reported.
- French production plantUnverifiedNot reported.
The Money
The EU grant covers only 45% of the €5.6 million project, and Pertinent asked for €6 million of EIC equity on top. Whether the EIC Fund has invested has not been announced. The French company is small: it reported revenue of €38,783 and a loss of €280,526 in 2021, and €50,329 of revenue in 2023.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
Whether the EIC Fund invested, how sales of AgForce are going, how the French and US companies are connected, and when the EU dossier will be filed are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
The EIC challenge that funded Pertinent was about novel technologies for resilient agriculture, and its products target insects that resist conventional pesticides. Pertinent's products are developed in France and licensed to a French group for Europe, yet they are reaching American farmers first because, as the company says, EU approval is slow and expensive.
What the award promised
Plant-based insecticides launched in the EU, the US and Latin America.
What the record shows
A US registration and sales, and EU approval still ahead.
The Verdict
America first, Europe later
Pertinent has a product on the US market. Europe, where the EIC money comes from, is still waiting.
Pertinent and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
