Overcoming authorisation obstacles to unlock the potential of Biocontrol
With the “European Green Deal” and the ensuing “Farm to Fork” strategy, the EU is endorsing reduced or no use of conventional chemical pesticides in crop protection.
While biocontrol seems to be the most promising approach to achieve this, the current implementation of the approval process for bio-pesticides in the EU is still burdensome and time consuming and does not favour a rapid time-to-market of biocontrol products.
IBMA, the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association, has been asked to share its thoughts on how to speed up authorisations and a paper has been shared with the European Commission, in which IBMA calls on Europe’s regulatory authorities for urgent action.
To overcome biocontrol authorisation obstacles and delays, IBMA advocates a three-step action plan:
1/3: Biocontrol Definition
IBMA promotes the inclusion of a definition of biocontrol in the SUD directive on sustainable use of pesticides which is currently under revision. The goal is to enable specific action in support of biocontrol through existing legislation and to lay the foundation for future legislative initiatives.
2/3: Proper implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and possible small modifications
IBMA is proposing almost a dozen ways that could contribute to reducing authorisation timelines for biocontrol products from today typically 10 years by more than half without compromising the high EU safety standards.
3/3: Longer term - develop a new appropriate legislative framework for biocontrol
In the longer term, IBMA is advocating the development of a new legislation that is specifically dedicated to biocontrol and that includes streamlined provisions with a dedicated centralized regulatory body, presumption of safe use (GRAS), tiered assessment as well as tailored data requirements.
Read the full IBMA paper to find out more here
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