Biopesticides and sustainability Wyn Grant
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 nonchemical 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: //www 2. warwick. ac. uk/fac/soc/pais/ biopesticides/ • Thanks to the RELU programme
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