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EU member states approve new rules to facilitate the use
of micro-organisms in crop protection products
The legislation will simplify the approval process for
biocontrol agents (BCAs) across the EU
The European Commission hopes this will contribute to
their Farm to Fork strategy ambition of reducing conventional
pesticide use across the bloc
EU member states have approved new rules to facilitate the
approval of micro-organisms for use as active ingredients (AIS) in
crop protection products. Member states endorsed four implementing
regulations that will simplify the process of approval of
biocontrol agents (BCAs) under the EU agrochemical registration
Regulation (1107/2009).
The implementing regulations will be scrutinised by the European
Parliament and the Council next. If they do not object, the
regulations will be adopted and be applicable in the fourth quarter
of 2022, most likely by November.
Regulation 1107/2009 was designed for chemical AIS and there
have long been calls for specific rules for biopesticides. The
Commission outlined plans in early 2020 to set new criteria for
pesticides based on micro-organisms. Calls for faster action in
this area have intensified since the Commission set use-reduction
targets for chemical pesticides in its Farm to Fork
strategy.
Significantly reducing the use of chemical pesticides is one of
the goals of the EU's Farm to Fork strategy, which charts the
transition to a sustainable food system, the Commission points out.
"Under the Farm to Fork Strategy, we have committed to reduce by
50% the use of chemical pesticides by 2030 and to do so, it is
crucial that we provide alternatives that respect our planet and
our health," said EU Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella
Kyriakides.
The new rules follow a different approach based on the biology
and ecology of each micro-organism and take into account the most
recent scientific knowledge, the European Commission says. That
way, the rules are more "fit-for-purpose" and flexible. The
biological properties of the micro-organisms play a central role
for the risk assessment and many data required in the new
implementing acts are conditional to the biology and ecology of the
particular micro-organism.
The Commission points out that more "fit for purpose" and
flexible requirements imply streamlined application dossiers, more
straightforward risk assessment, and shorter timelines to get
access to the EU market.
There are currently over 60 micro-organisms approved for crop
protection use in the EU. However, companies such as Israel-based
STK have recently commented that approval for new BCA products in
the EU, such as for fruit and vegetable crops in Mediterranean
countries remains "very difficult".
The UK, having originally been a biologicals pioneer, is also a
now becoming a tougher environment with more hurdles, despite the
new opportunities for diverging from Brussels from Brexit, with
regulatory policy firmly focused on gene-edited seeds and crops
following a government consultation launched last year.
Brazil remains the most permissive global environment for
developing and approving new BCAs, followed by China and North
America, although California and Canada remain more challenging,
according to our latest analysis.
Posted 23 February 2022 by Alan Bullion, Director of Special Reports & Projects, Agribusiness, S&P Global Commodity Insights
