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EU microbial pest control: A revolution in waiting.
Florența-Elena Helepciuc1, Arpad Todor2
1Institute of Biology Bucharest, Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania.
Pest Management Science
|November 17, 2021
Summary
Implementing microbial pest control in the EU is slow due to complex approval processes for microbial biological control agents (MBCA) and products (MBCP). While research and agent approvals have improved, product authorization remains a bottleneck, hindering sustainable agriculture.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Entomology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Microbial biological control offers a sustainable alternative to conventional pesticides.
- Implementation of microbial pest control in the EU faces significant challenges.
- Regulatory hurdles and market access issues limit the adoption of microbial biological control agents (MBCA) and products (MBCP).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the evolution of MBCA approval and MBCP authorization processes in the EU.
- To identify factors limiting the widespread adoption of microbial pest control in EU agriculture.
- To provide policy recommendations for enhancing microbial pest control implementation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of MBCA EU-level approval data.
- Evaluation of MBCP national-level authorization trends (2014-2019).
- Review of research output and policy landscape.
Main Results:
- EU research output and MBCA approval procedures (first stage) have improved, matching the USA by 2020.
- MBCP authorization (second stage) shows slow and uneven progress across EU Member States.
- Progress is concentrated in countries with larger agricultural areas and higher research intensity.
Conclusions:
- Despite advancements, the slow authorization of MBCPs hinders the EU's sustainable agriculture goals.
- Capacity building in laggard EU Member States is crucial for improving MBCA approval and MBCP authorization.
- Policy interventions, including integration into National Action Plans, are needed to promote microbial pest control adoption.
Keywords:
European Unionbiocontrolintegrated pest managementmicrobial biological control agentsmicrobial biological control productsMore Related Videos
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