In the European Union, a standardized TIERed approach is used to assess the risk of pesticides to NTAs. Tier 1 studies are acute mortality tests run in the laboratory on glass plates. Tier 2 studies are extended more realistic tests. When both tests fail to meet the regulatory requirements for safe use, field studies are required. These are considered higher Tier studies and their complexity depends on the objectives. Two main categories can be distinguished into in-crop and off-crop studies. In-crop studies for arable are large scale of minimum 12 ha and a duration of 1 year. They are designed to evaluate the potential effects of the pesticide application under a full rate scenario. The main objectives are: to identify the magnitude of treatment effects on non-target arthropod populations; to assess the range of taxa affected by the test item treatment; identify the time period needed until the populations recover. Off-crop studies are of a smaller scale, approximatively 4 ha, with a minimum duration of two months. They are designed to assess the potential adverse effects of non-intentional spray drift on NTA communities in habitats such as field margins or hedgerows that might occur at various distances from the treated fields. The main objectives are to establish three rates: NOER (No observed effect rate; NOEAER (No Observed Ecologically Adverse Effect Rate); LOEAER (Low Observed Ecologically Adverse Effect Rate). These types of field studies present several challenges such as technical reliability, statistical power, biological accuracy, and agronomical relevance. Our presentation will address these challenges taking into consideration the guidance provided by DeJong et al. 2010 and other more recent developments.

NTA field testing methods in the EU

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