Aims and consequences of regulatory risk management in Europe: a discussion

Abstract

Assessment of pesticide risks to natural enemies and other non-target arthropods is certainly possible, and since 1974 the International Organization for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants (IOBC) has developed basic principles, testing methodology and an approach for evaluating the results. Standardized test methods on many different natural enemies are available, have been in use for many years and are being ring-tested for good reliability. A sequential evaluation scheme for regulatory purposes, based on these principles and testing methods, has been developed by the Joint Panel on Environmental Risk Assessment of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and the Council of Europe (CoE). The European Union (EU) in its turn requires that plant protection products will cause no unacceptable impact on beneficial arthropods, referring to the EPPO/CoE scheme for guidance on how to carry out risk assessments.