Biotech Updates

Guidelines for Assessing Pesticide Effects on Birds and Mammals

August 1, 2008

The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) has released an opinion for assessing the impact of pesticides on birds and mammals.

The PPR Panel evaluated the impact of pesticides with a large range of scenarios including different crops and different types of pesticide uses (e.g. granules, seed treatment, sprays). In most cases, the assessment results in a toxicity-exposure-ratio (TER) as a measure of risk. In the case of acute risks to birds from sprayed pesticides, however, the PPR Panel offered an alternative approach based on the number of lethal doses applied per square meter (LD50/m²).

EFSA’s Opinion Paper can be downloaded at http://www.efsa.eu.int/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1211902014630.htm