Wyn Grant Biopesticides and sustainability. Practical research

Wyn Grant

Biopesticides and sustainability

Practical research

The challenge• Synthetic plant protection products

becoming less available at a time of concern about food security

• Carrot fly example• Biocontrol products offer a sustainable

alternative• But have faced regulatory and market

challenges

Biocontrol products• There are some problems of definition• Generally talking about naturally

occurring entities that have little or no toxicity, invisible to naked eye, can be applied with existing equipment

• Entomopathogenic fungi – example of beauveria fungus worked on in RELU project

Downsides• Less efficacious – slower kill rate, highly

selective niche products mostly, short persistence, susceptible to unfavourable environmental conditions

• Need more technical knowledge from farmer• Most headway in greenhouses where

synthetics often could not be used and more tech know how, but note Serenade

Regulatory environment• Regulators used to dealing with

chemicals• Often suspicious of biocontrol (even

now)• Two tier system at EU level, substances

and products• Variable standards of member state

agencies

New legislation

• Still being brought into force and implemented

• Three eco zones plus one for greenhouses

• Commitment in EU to IPM

• EFSA involved in peer review of active substances

Lack of political support• Not used by that many farmers (NL

different)• Organic sector suspicious• Big agrochemical companies see them

as threat (but now buying in)• Companies are very small, often

science park start ups• Retailers ambivalent – a few in favour

How has progress been made?

• Policy network weakly developed ad immature

• Interventions by government and response by regulatory agencies

• Role of consultants

• Improvements in capacities and sophistication of IBMA

Member state governments• Cabinet Office intervened in UK, Defra

relatively inactive, brought in change agent from Unilever

• Response from Approvals Director at what was then PSD, Biopesticides Scheme

• Genoeg Scheme in NL• UK response very dependent on agency of

individuals, hence fragile

Current situation

• PSD becomes CRD or Bootle East

• Fiscal consolidation leaves to departure of key staff, possible morale effects

• Role of Availability and Alternatives stakeholder group

• Concern about Biopesticides Scheme being hollowed out

Consultants

• Intermediaries between firms and regulators, but viewed with some ambivalence by regulators

• Prominent in IBMA

• Generally one person businesses unlike agronomists who deal with synthetics

Industry representation

• US has given more backing to biopesticides through dedicated division in EPA

• IR-4 program helped to form trade association

• UK constrained by ‘green book’ rules

High tech associations

• Uncertainty reduction model suggests early emphasis on service provision

• A little more complex

• Concerns about political displacement of agrochemical companies who are worried by political rather than commercial threat of biocontrol

IBMA• Formed 1995• Europe wide organisation with national

branches and working groups, some American and Australian members

• Originally France-centric• 3 working groups (key) chaired from CH• Bayer and BASF members, moving in

to sector

IBMA

• Annual conference/exhibition in Lucerne, now 3 days

• Income around €220-240,000

• Originally relied on contract work in Brussels

• Now has full-time CEO from industry background

Grey market issue• Unfair competition, do not have to go

through registration system as do not make direct pest control claim, damage reputation

• Grey market claim innovation• Variability in application of legislation by

member state, registered as pesticides in A but not in B (Serenade)

New EU legislation• Replaces directive by regulation, hopefully

less scope for variability• Devil is in detail• Legislation does give specific status to non-

chemical and natural alternatives, but will require a guidance document

• DG Sanco broadly sympathetic, but concerned may be too many low risk substances

• Role of private standards organisations

Conclusions• Low political profile, political

displacement fragile• Relationship with regulators not

structurally embedded• Halfway house between conventional

and organics• Growing fast, but still very small

compared to agrochemicals

Conclusions (2)• Absence of strong consumptionist

dimension in era of consumer-citizen• Retailers prohibit certain pesticides but

do not promote biocontrol• Productionist discourse weakened by

limited economic impact of industry• Key test for IBMA is influencing

implementation of new EU regime

Read our book

Visit our website

• http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/pais/biopesticides/

• Thanks to the RELU programme