Pesticide licensing in the EU and protecting pollinators

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Ecotoxicology
• Regulatory Science

Background:

• Intensive agriculture depends on pesticides for pest control, posing environmental risks.
• There are calls to update pesticide risk assessments to safeguard ecosystem services like pollination.
• The pesticide licensing process is complex, leading to confusion between risk assessment and risk management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a roadmap of the pesticide licensing process in the European Union, using bees as a case study.
• To identify data gaps in current environmental risk assessment procedures.
• To advocate for a holistic approach to environmental risk assessment for better protection of wildlife.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the European Union's pesticide licensing regulatory process.
• Case study focusing on bee protection within the regulatory framework.
• Identification of key data gaps in environmental risk assessment.

Main Results:

• The current pesticide licensing process in the EU is complex and can be confusing.
• Significant data gaps exist, hindering a comprehensive environmental risk assessment.
• The process needs refinement to better account for environmental impacts.

Conclusions:

• A clearer understanding of the pesticide licensing roadmap is essential.
• Addressing data gaps is crucial for a holistic environmental risk assessment.
• Improved risk assessment is vital for protecting pollinators and broader wildlife from pesticide impacts.