The Pest icides Saf et y Direct orat e
Agricultural pesticides have played a major role in the increased food production that has been achieved throughout the world during the last 50 years. By their very nature, howev-er, pesticides can be hazardous, and require careful scientific evaluation. As part of this process an independent advisory committee was established to advise G overnment on the risks from chemicals in agriculture, and a voluntary notification scheme for pesticides was put in place. T hese voluntary arrange-ments have now been replaced by a broadly based statutory system.
Specific legal controls on the advertise-ment, sale, supply, storage and use of pesti-cides in the U K were introduced under Part III of the Food and Environment Protection Act (1985) and the 1986 C ontrol of Pesticides Regulations (C O PR) and subsequent legisla-tion, including that required to implement European legislation, such as D irective 91/414/EEC (concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market).
T he responsibility for approving agricul-tural pesticide products for use under British legislation lies with the M inisters of five gov-ernment departments:
(1) T he M inistry of Agriculture, F isheries and Food (M AF F );
(2) T he D epartment of H ealth;
(3) T he D epartment of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (inc. the H ealth and Safety Executive); (4) T he Scottish O ffice;
(5) T he Welsh O ffice.
Within M AF F, this responsibility rests with its Executive Agency, the Pesticides Safety D irectorate (PSD ), which was set up on 1 April 1993.
The aim s of P S D
T he aims of PSD, through the regulation of pesticides, may be summarised as follows: • to protect the health of people, animals and
plants;
• to safeguard the environment; and
• to secure safe, efficient and humane meth-ods of pest control.
T he principal function of PSD ’s 200 scientif-ic, policy and support staff is to evaluate and
310 Nutrition & Food Science
Number 6 · November/December 1998 · pp. 310–313 M CB University Press · ISSN 0034-6659
The w ork of t he
Pe st icide s Sa f e t y
Dire ct ora t e
M atthew Wells
The author
M atthew Wellsis w ith PSD’s External Relations Branch, York, UK.
Abstract
Outlines the function of the Pesticides Safety Directorate of the UK. This directorate is an Executive Agency of M AFF and aims to protect the health of people, animals and plants; safeguard the environment and secure safe, efficient and humane methods of pest control. The PSD advises ministries on the development, implementation and enforcement of policy and manages a large R&D programme into pesticide use and alternatives.
process applications for approval of pesticide products for use in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, food storage and the home garden in G reat Britain, and provide advice to G overn-ment on pesticides policy. In all aspects, PSD must satisfy itself that the pesticide products it assesses are not only effective, but also that they pose no unacceptable risks to people, animals or the wider environment. Pesticides used in other areas, such as public hygiene, are assessed by the Pesticide Registration Section of the H ealth and Safety Executive.
P S D ’s polic y responsibilities
PSD is responsible for advising M inisters on the development, implementation and enforcement of pesticide policy, and associat-ed U K and European legislation on agricul-tural pesticide approvals and reviews of approvals. It plays a leading role in determin-ing and pursudetermin-ing U K policy on pesticide matters in the European context, including those relating to EC D irective 91/414/EEC , which established a community-wide frame-work for the regulation of plant protection products. T he directorate provides the secre-tariat for the independent Advisory C ommit-tee on Pesticides (AC P). F urther information on the AC P is available from PSD at the address given at the end of this article.
Food saf et y
T he directorate has a major role to play in negotiating harmonised maximum residue levels (M RLs) in foodstuffs, both within the European C ommunity (EC ) and, more wide-ly, via the international C O D EX C ommittee on Pesticide Residues (C O D EX is the inter-national body that establishes standards to facilitate world trade in food). PSD also provides advice and representation on the development of internationally acceptable pesticide product specifications and method-ology through the Food and Agriculture O rganisation of the U nited N ations (FAO ) and the C ollaborative International Pesticide Analytical C ouncil (C IPAC ).
Pesticide residues in food are controlled through regulations which lay down M RLs for over 8,000 pesticide/commodity combina-tions covering the more important compo-nents of the U K diet. PSD is responsible for this legislation and for developing it to meet European requirements. M RLs are designed both to protect the consumer and to check
that pesticides are being used correctly. T hey are set at levels substantially below those that could affect human health.
Since 1977 the G overnment’s Working Party on Pesticide Residues (WPPR) has monitored both home-produced and import-ed food for pesticide residues. T he annual surveillance of 3,000 to 4,000 samples of food, representing 70-80,000 individual analyses, enables a check to be made that no unexpected residues are occurring and that statutory M RLs are not exceeded. In the vast majority of samples analysed, where a pesti-cide residue has been found, it has been well within the M RL. PSD funds the WPPR’s activities, including the publication of an annual report which is available, free of charge, from PSD (address at the end of this article).
Prot ect ing t he environm ent
T he protection of the environment is a key aim of U K policy on pesticide use and PSD works closely with the D epartment of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (D ET R) and other bodies on a range of envi-ronmental issues concerning the protection of water, air, soil and wildlife. Jointly with D ET R, PSD provides the secretariat to the Pesticides Forum, which was established in February 1996 to co-ordinate and take for-ward policy relating to responsible pesticide use.
T he directorate is also responsible for the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS), which investigates reported cases of poisoning of wildlife and pets where pesticides may be involved, and for co-ordinating the C ampaign against Illegal Poisoning of
Wildlife. T he campaign is aimed at safeguard-ing wildlife and brsafeguard-ingsafeguard-ing to the attention of the widest possible audience, the dangers of illegal methods of pest control.
Enf orcem ent
To ensure compliance with the requirements of pesticides legislation, systems of control and enforcement must be in place. PSD is responsible for developing these controls and for enforcement policy on behalf of M AF F in liaison with other enforcement agencies – including the H ealth and Safety Executive and local authorities.
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Research and developm ent
O n behalf of M AF F, PSD manages a substan-tial research and development programme in support of government policy on pesticide use, including research on the safe use of pesticides and on alternative systems of pest and disease control.
P S D ’s role in the approvals process T here are four main aspects to the approval of agricultural pesticide products:
(1) the approval of products containing new active substances;
(2) the approval of new products, and new uses for approved products, containing existing active substances;
(3) approval for experimental work with new products; and
(4) existing approved products are subject to periodic review .
New pest icidal act ivit ies
PSD is responsible for ensuring that the substantial dossiers of data which are required to assess a new active substance are complete. T he data are then evaluated by appropriate specialists, both within and outside PSD. Following data evaluation, PSD carries out a risk assessment for each new active substance. When all this work is complete, it is consid-ered by the independent Advisory C ommittee on Pesticides (AC P), which recommends to M inisters whether or not to grant an approval for product(s) containing the active
substance.
Where, under the terms of EC D irective 91/414/EEC , a company has asked the U K to undertake this work, the evaluation docu-ments will be sent to the EC Standing C om-mittee on Plant H ealth. T his will consider whether the new substance should be includ-ed on the list of active substances in Annex I of D irective 91/414/EEC , which allows the active substance to be made available in prod-ucts EC -wide.
New product s and new uses
T he majority of applications received by PSD are for the approval of new products, and new uses for approved products, containing exist-ing active substances already on the market before the directive was introduced (e.g. use on additional crops, use in new situations,
changes in formulation). In addition, a number of applications are received for exper-imental work on new products containing existing active substances.
Applications may also be received for “off-label” approvals (which are requested by growers to cover a lack of approved “on-label” uses) and approval of imported pesticide products that are identical to those already approved in the U K.
Review s of t he exist ing pest icides
Apart from the approval of new substances and new products, PSD has responsibility for the routine review of the safety of all pesti-cides marketed in the U K. T his may occur at any time, particularly if information emerges concerning safety to people or to the environ-ment. If there are safety concerns, the approval can be restricted, or revoked. PSD also has responsibility for delivering the U K’s contribution to the EC ’s European-wide review of existing active substances under EC Regulation 92/3600.
Ensuring saf et y t o people
T he basic toxicity of a pesticide to mammals must be established before any assessment can be made of the risks it might pose to people during use. To do this, data provided by applicants are evaluated by PSD specialists on the various aspects of shorter-term and longer-term toxicity of a pesticide in animals. T he establishment of safety limits such as acceptable daily intake (AD I), acute reference dose (ARfD ) and acceptable operator expo-sure levels (AO EL) are essential steps in the risk assessment process.
T he physico-chemical properties of active ingredients which influence the interaction with, and fate in, plants, animals and the environment are also evaluated by PSD scien-tists. Plant and farm animal metabolism studies are considered, together with residues data and maximum residues levels (M RLs). T he dietary intake of residues in food is assessed in order to ensure that the safety limits (AD I and ARfD ) are not exceeded. T he validity of analytical methods and the stability and properties of pesticide products are also assessed.
T hose applying pesticides have the highest probability of experiencing contamination. It is essential, therefore, to ensure that exposure
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does not exceed acceptable levels. PSD scien-tists will ensure that the label includes all appropriate conditions of use, including, for example, the need for protective clothing, so that operators may use a product safely and with confidence.
Ensuring saf et y t o t he environm ent
T he nature and behaviour of pesticides in soil and water following application must be established before their risk to the environ-ment can be assessed. PSD specialists carry out such an exposure assessment by evaluat-ing information on the persistence, degrada-tion and mobility of a pesticide in different soil types, natural waters and in other appro-priate environmental systems. F rom this assessment PSD can predict whether a pesti-cide will move between soil and water, whether it will persist in soil (and for how long), whether it can be degraded and the nature of any such degraded pesticide. F rom this information, PSD can estimate the proba-ble exposure of different parts of the environ-ment to the pesticide in question.
In order to assess the possible risks of a pesticide to wildlife in the environment, data submitted by the applicant, on various aspects of the pesticide’s ecotoxicity, are compared by PSD with the predicted exposure to the envi-ronment of that pesticide. A wide range of species is considered in this comparison, including birds, wild mammals, fish, aquatic invertebrates, beneficial insects (e.g. honey-bees), earthworms and soil micro-organisms. Where an unacceptable risk to such wildlife is identified, PSD will recommend that a restric-tion in use is imposed, to reduce such a risk to an acceptable level. For example, if an unac-ceptable risk to honeybees is identified, appli-cations of that particular pesticide to flower-ing crops will be prohibited.
Ensuring ef f ect iveness
F inally, all new pesticide products are assessed to ensure that they are effective for their intended use. Product label claims are
examined, and data evaluated, so that ade-quate weed, pest and disease control are assured. In addition, non-target effects are considered, for example, safety to adjacent or following crops and, where a label claim is made, the safety of the pesticide to beneficial insects in integrated pest and crop manage-ment systems.
Finance and f unding
PSD has two key financial performance tar-gets:
(1) to achieve full cost recovery from industry and G overnment; and
(2) to comply with budgetary controls result-ing from the public expenditure survey (PES) and the supply estimates.
Around 60 per cent of PSD ’s costs are met by the agrochemical industry. A fee in line with the cost of processing is charged for each application, and an annual levy is charged to cover, for example, the cost of reviewing older pesticides, and most of the costs of monitor-ing pesticides usage and residues in food. T he balance of about 40 per cent is met by M AF F.
PSD publishes an Annual Report and Accounts which, together with copies of the directorate’s Corporate Plan and S tatement of
S ervice S tandards, is available, free of charge,
from the address given below.
Ext ernal relat ions
PSD has an external relations branch, which provides an information service for external enquirers (including international enquirers and the general public). F urther information about the directorate can be obtained by contacting the information section at, T he Pesticides Safety D irectorate, Information Section, M allard H ouse, Kings Pool, 3 Peasholme G reen, York YO 1 2PX: Tel: 01904 455775; Fax 01904 455733, or E-mail: [email protected]. PSD also has a H ome Page on the Internet, at: http://www.maff.gov.uk/aboutmaf/agency/ psd/psdhome.htm
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