Application, ecotoxicology and regulation of insecticides with special reference to neonicotinoids

This review examines the efficacy and toxicity of the major insecticide groups in current use, with particular reference to neonicotinoids, which are one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. Mammalian toxicity and hazards posed during insecticide application will be discussed, along with their ecotoxicology, effects on non-target organisms and on the environment. However, toxicity must be balanced by usefulness in crop protection, first in terms of integrated pest management (IPM) and then by detailing national registration processes according to international normative frameworks to achieve the appropriate balance between efficacy and toxicity. Critical in ensuring that this balance is met are controls on pesticides in use, enforcement of pesticide regulations, and food safety measures related insecticide residues and maximum residue limit (MRL) setting. International trade conventions and trade issues are of direct relevance to import and export not only of agricultural products protected by the use of pesticides, but also of the pesticides themselves along with the waste products from their manufacture or use.