Abstract
Several reasons have made registration of biological control agents (BCAs) in Europe a time-consuming and costly effort, resulting in these environmentally friendly products being kept off the market. To be cost effective, regulatory states must become cost-benefit states. To avoid over-regulation with all its negative consequences, government regulation should ask whether the benefits of regulation justify the costs of regulation. Such an analysis includes a cost-benefit-analysis, which is supported by a risk-trade-off-analysis. A survey among biocontrol companies indicated that average costs for registration are 1.9 million €. Benefits of regulation are put relative to costs for the different groups of BCAs. Trade-off effects of regulation on biocontrol companies, plant protection practice, consumer safety and the environment are described. Consequences resulting from the joint regulation of BCAs with chemical compounds and the organisation of registration in Europe are specified and proposals for overcoming problems are presented. Contradictions between the objectives of the European agriculture policy and the limited support of biological control are discussed.
Keywords
- Biological Control
- Biological Control Agent
- External Cost
- Chemical Pesticide
- Biological Control Strategy
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
References
Agrow (2004) Aventis products boost Bayer’s 2003 results. Agrow World Crop Protect News 445:5–6
Alabouvette C, Cordier C (2011) Risks of microbial biocontrol agents and regulation: are they in balance? In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 157–173
Berg G, Zachow C, Cardinale M, Müller H (2011) Bacterial ecology and human pathogenicity of plant-associated bacteria. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 175–189
De Clercq P, Bale JS (2011) Risks of invertebrate biological control agents – Harmonia axyridis as a case study. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 243–255
Easteal S (1981) The history of introductions of Bufo marinus (Amphibia: Anura); a natural experiment in evolution. Biol J Linnean Soc 16:93–113
Ehlers R-U (2011) Regulation of biological control agents and the EU Policy Support Action REBECA. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 3–23
EPPO (2010) EPPO Standards on Safe use of Biological Control - PM 6/3 - Version 2010. List of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region. http://archives.eppo.org/EPPOStandards/biocontrol_web/bio_list.htm
EU (2009) Directive 2009/128/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides. Off J Eur Union L 309:71
European Commission (2000) Communication from the Commission on the precautionary principle. Commission of the European Communities COM 2000–1. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2000/com2000_0001en01.pdf
Frost and Sullivan (2001) European biopesticides market. http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/report-toc.pag?ctxixpLink=FcmCtx3&searchQuery=European+biopesticide+market+2001&repid=3905-01-00-00-00&bdata=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5mcm9zdC5jb20vc3JjaC9jYXRhbG9nLXNlYXJjaC5kbz9xdWVyeVRleHQ9RXVyb3BlYW4rYmlvcGVzdGljaWRlK21hcmtldCsyMDAxJnBhZ2VTaXplPThAfkBTZWFyY2ggUmVzdWx0c0B%2BQDEyOTEwNDAxOTcxOTE%3D&ctxixpLabel=FcmCtx4
Graham JD, Wiener JB (1995) Risk versus risk – tradeoffs in protecting health and the environment. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Hokkanen HMT, Hokkanen-Menzler I (2008) Deliverable 24: Cost, trade-off, and benefit analysis. REBECA-Regulation of biological control agents. Specific Support Action, Project no. SSPE-CT-2005-022709. http://www.rebeca-net.de/downloads/report/deliverable%2024.pdf
Lisansky SG, Coombs J (1994) Development in the market for biopesticides. In: Proceedings of the Brighton Crop Protection Conference – Pest and Diseases, Farnham, Surrey, UK, pp 1049–1054
Pimentel D, Acquay H, Biltonen M, Rice P, Silva M, Nelson J, Lipner V, Giordano S, Horowitz A, D’Amore M (1992) Environmental and economic costs of pesticide use. BioScience 42:750–760
Regnault-Roger C (2011) Risks of biocontrol agents containing compounds of botanical origin or semiochemicals. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 216–242
Reuter W (2007) Pestizide am Limit II. Veränderungen von Höchstmengen für Pestizide in pflanzlichen Erzeugnissen in Deutschland 2004–2006. http://www.greenpeace.de/gpd/user_upload/themen/umweltgifte/greenpeace_pestizide_am_limit_2.pdf
Roy H, Brown P, Majerus M (2006) Harmonia axyridis: A successful biocontrol agent or an invasive threat?. In: Eilenberg J, Hokkanen HMT (eds) An ecological and societal a approach to biological control. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 295–309
Strasser H, Hutwimmer S, Burgstaller W (2011) Metabolite toxicology of fungal biocontrol agents. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 191–213
Strauch O, Strasser H, Hauschild R, Ehlers R-U (2011) Proposals for bacterial and fungal biocontrol agents. In: Ehlers R-U (ed) Regulation of biological control agents. Springer, Dordrecht
Sunstein CR (2002) Risk and reason - safety, law, and the environment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp 342
van der Blom J (2009) Microbiological insecticides against lepidopteran pests in greenhouse horticulture in Almeria, Spain. IOBC/wprs Bull 45:59–62
Waibel H, Fleischer G, Becker H, Runge-Metzger A (1998) Kosten und Nutzen des chemischen Pflanzenschutzes in der deutschen Landwirtschaft aus gesamtwirtschaftlicher Sicht. Agrarökonomische Monographien und Sammelwerke. Wissenschaftsverlag Vauk, Kiel
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Netherlands
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ehlers, RU. (2011). Cost-Benefit, Risk and Trade-Off Analysis of Regulation. In: Ehlers, RU. (eds) Regulation of Biological Control Agents. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3664-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3664-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3663-6
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3664-3
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)