The assessment of pesticide risk to bees: the work of the ICPBR ‘Bee Protection Group’

Abstract

The 10th Symposium of the International Commission for Plant-Bee Relationships (ICPBR) Bee Protection Group was held on 8-10 October 2008 in Bucharest, Romania. A major part of this meeting was given over to a revision of the EPPO guideline 170 and the associated risk assessment scheme, which forms the basis of regulatory evaluations for the effects of pesticides on honey bees in the EU. While the current EU risk assessment scheme is considered to be robust and effective, such revisions are considered appropriate as part of an ongoing process of review and appropriate development. The revision process was based on reports presented by three working groups that had been set up at the 9th Symposium of the Bee Protection Group (York, UK; 2005). The three groups had addressed the following issues: (1) higher tier testing (cage and field trials); (2) the risk to bees from the use of plant protection products through seed coating and soil applications (systemic effects); (3) the risk to honey bee brood (including in vitro larval testing methodology). These proceedings present the current proposals for the revised EPPO honeybee testing guidelines and risk assessment scheme. These will be subject to a final review before being submitted to EPPO and also to EFSA for consideration as part of the revision of the Terrestrial Ecotoxicology Guidance

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Keywords: risk assessment, honey bees, guidelines, revision