Risk mitigation measures are a key component in designing conditions of use of pesticides in crop protection. Risk mitigation tools are therefore of increasing importance in modern agricultural practices as well as in revised legislation regarding regulatory approval. In Europe, risk mitigation has been the subject of multiple exchanges among regulatory authorities, and many initiatives have been undertaken in order to develop, implement and account for risk mitigation measures in the risk assessment procedures. A 2-step workshop was organized under the auspices of SETAC and the European Commission. Risk assessors and risk managers of 21 European countries, industry, academia and agronomical advisor services met to provide European regulatory authorities with a toolbox of risk mitigation measures designed for the use of pesticides in agriculture. The workshop focused on environmental risks identified as protection goals in the European regulation on pesticides: wildlife including vertebrates and invertebrates, flora and microorganisms, biodiversity as well as surface and groundwater quality. The workshop reached the following objectives: (1) gather the state of the art of current knowledge and developments of risk mitigation measures for pesticides in EU countries and if available beyond Europe; (2) discuss risk mitigation practices and their future implementation and development together with all stakeholders, i.e. experts from national authorities, research sector, industry and farmers; (3) discuss the links between risk assessment and risk management and account for risk mitigation options in risk assessment and (4) build a network to share information. This poster will illustrate the demarche used to identify the most promising risk mitigation options in the agricultural landscape and present the content of the resulting toolbox with the goal of harmonization within Europe.

Development of a harmonized risk mitigation toolbox dedicated to pesticides in farmland in Europe: Outcome of the MAgPIE workshop

248th National Meeting (2014)

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