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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