Work of the EPPO/IOBC Panel on biological control agents |
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| Authors: | A D Orlinski |
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| Institution: | Secretariat of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), Paris, 75011 (France) |
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| Abstract: | EPPO started work on biological control agents (BCAs) in 1996, and the joint EPPO/IOBC Panel was established in 1997. The history of the Panel is provided and EPPO Standards developed by the Panel are described. These Standards are: PM 6/1 ‘First import of exotic biological control agents for research under contained conditions’, PM 6/2 ‘Import and release of non‐indigenous biological control agents’ and PM 6/3 ‘List of biological control agents widely used in the EPPO region’. The last of these has been annually updated as a ‘Positive List’ of BCAs for which EPPO recommends its member countries to use a simplified procedure for import and releases. EPPO activities in biological control have been focused on the safety aspects of the introduction of invertebrate BCAs. However, the scope of EPPO's work in this area is now under review, and a number of issues are being considered by the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations. These include the remit of the Panel and Standards in relation to micro‐organisms, the evaluation of potential environmental benefits as well as potential risks from releases and the potential for use of BCAs against regulated pests and those recommended for regulation. |
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