Global food-production, -security and -safety are among the most challenging topics today. Part of the solution and of the challenge is plant protection using pesticides. Growers manage over 100,000 crop/pest combinations pre- and post-harvest. Each combination requires at least 3 different products to be used alternatingly so that pest resistance can be prevented. Before a pesticide use becomes legal, governments conduct risk assessments using thousands of scientific and technical studies from industry. The logistical and financial challenges are even too large for multi-national R&D companies. Consequently, pesticide uses are approved in some but not in other countries, and residue limits differ widely leading to non-tariff trade-barriers that block global trade or delay it beyond the storage stability of the shipment. The consequences are severe losses in the quality and quantity of crops. It takes about 10 years from the discovery of a pesticide to the approval of the first crop/pest combination in the first country. Other crops and countries have to wait another 10-20 years. During this time, the product presents a trade-barrier for every country and crop for which the product has not yet been approved. The only way to accelerate the process are simultaneous registrations in as many countries and for as many crops as possible. To achieve this goal data packages need to be harmonized globally in cooperation between stakeholders and regulatory authorities worldwide. The coordination of so many people seems to be an impossible task but has become possible through the availability of the Global Plant Protection Database Homologa. This presentation offers an example of how crops, pests, application methods, and partners can be coordinated, and how cooperation can be managed with the help of Homologa.

Overcoming world hunger requires global harmonization of chemical plant protection products

248th National Meeting (2014)

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