Joint EPPO/IOBC Panel on Biological Control Agents
Composition (last updated October 2023)
| EPPO | |
|
ALANKO Aino-Maija (Ms) |
Finnish Food Safety Authority, Finland (FI) |
| ALENAZI Khalaf (Mr) | Ministry of Agriculture, Amman (JO) |
|
BELOUSOV Igor (Mr) |
All-Russian Institute for Plant Protection, Russian Federation (RU) |
| COLLATZ Jana (Ms) | Agroscope, Switzerland (CH) |
| DE CLERCQ Patrick (Mr) | Laboratory of Agrozoology Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium (BE) |
| EVERATT Matthew (Mr) | Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, York Biotech Campus, United Kingdom (GB) |
| GLAVENDEKIC Milka (Ms) | Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Serbia (RS) |
|
GOVERNATORI Gianluca (Mr) |
ERSA Regional Agency for Rural Development, Phytosanitary Service, Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, NPPO, Italy (IT) |
|
HAZIR Adalet (Ms) |
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkey (TR) |
|
LANGLET Xavier (Mr) |
Ministry of Agriculture / DGAL Paris. Based at DRAAF-SRAL Bretagne, France (FR) |
| MARCHANTE Hélia (Ms) | Escola Superior Agrária – Instituto Politécnico Coimbra, Coimbra (PT) |
| MATOSEVIC Dinka (Ms) | Croatian Forest Research Institute, Croatia (HR) |
| MILONAS Panagiotis (Mr) | Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Metamorfosis, Athens (GR) |
| MUOLA Anne (Ms) | NIBIO (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research), Ås (NO) |
|
NAVRATILOVÁ Miloslava (Ms) |
Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Section of Agricultural Inputs, Division of Plant Protection Products, Czech Republic (CZ) |
| SERAPHIDES Nicos (Mr) | Agricultural Research Institute, Nicosia (CY) |
|
SHAMMAI Arik (Mr) |
Plant Protection and Inspection Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Israel (IL) |
|
TRDAN Stanislav (Mr) |
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept of Agronomy, Chair for Phytomedicine, Agricultural Engineering, Field Crops Production, Pasture and Grassland Management, Slovenia (SI) |
| IOBC | |
| COLLATZ Jana (Ms) | Agroscope, Switzerland (CH) |
| BLUEMEL Sylvia (Ms) | IOBC |
| DE CLERCQ Patrick (Mr) | Laboratory of Agrozoology Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Belgium (BE) |
| GLAVENDEKIC Milka (Ms) | Faculty of Forestry, University of Belgrade, Belgrade (RS) |
| HERZ Annette (Ms) | Julius Kühn Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Biological Control, Germany (DE) |
|
JAQUES MIRET Josep Anton (Mr) |
Universitat Jaume I, Dept de Ciencies Agraries i del Medi Natural, Campus del Riu Sec,Spain (ES) |
| Observers | |
| KENIS Mark (Mr) | CABI Switzerland, (CH) |
|
WACKERS Felix (Mr) |
Biobest Group NV (BE) representing IBMA (International Biocontrol Manufacturing Association) |
Terms of Reference (as agreed by the Executive Committee in September 2017)
Introduction
EPPO started its works on biological control agents (BCAs) in 1996, and the joint EPPO/IOBC Panel on Biological Control Agents was established in 1997. Since then, the Panel has developed four Standards: 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’, PM 6/3 ‘Biological control agents safely used in the EPPO region’ and PM 6/4 ‘Decision-support scheme for import and release of biological control agents of plant pests’. PM 6/3 ‘List of biological control agents safely used in the EPPO region’ has been annually amended (except between 2002 and 2008) and represents a list of BCAs for which EPPO recommends its member countries to use a simplified procedure for import and releases. These are BCAs which are either indigenous and widespread in the EPPO region, or established and widespread in the EPPO region, or used by at least 5 EPPO countries for at least 5 years and in any of these cases without records of any adverse effects, or when available reports exist, adverse effects are considered to be acceptable by the joint EPPO/IOBC Panel.
Scope
The EPPO/IOBC Panel on Biological Control Agents considers all aspects of the assessment and regulation of the import and release of biological control agents for use in plant protection, and assists the EPPO Secretariat and Working Parties in preparing guidance for use by member countries and the biological control industry. Biological control agents are understood to be natural enemies, antagonists or competitors or other organisms used for pest control (ISPM 5).
Tasks
- Advising and support the EPPO Secretariat in relation to guidance on the assessment and regulation of biological control agents.
- Monitoring the application of EPPO Standards in the PM6 series and consider the need for revisions in the light of experience and new information.
- Proposing to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations priorities for inclusion in the annual EPPO Work Programme.
- In accordance with that Work Programme, producing draft new or revised PM6 Standards for consideration by the Working Party, and additional guidance and decision support schemes to assist in the implementation of those Standards.
- Recommending additions, deletions and amendments to the ‘List of biological control agents safely used in the EPPO region’ (Standard PM6/3), based on evidence presented to the Panel according to agreed procedures.
- Promoting the development of networks to facilitate communication between regulators in different EPPO countries, and between regulators, researchers and industry, in relation to biological control agents.
- Monitor changes in regional and international guidance and standards relating to the import, maintenance and release of biological control agents and advise member countries (in consultation with the EPPO Panel on CPM [Global] Affairs) on EPPO Standards and its work on BCAs.
- Provide input into national and international work on biological control.
- Reporting formally to the EPPO Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations, whilst keeping informed the EPPO Working Party on Plant Protection Products on issues of particular interest to that Working Party.
- Reporting to IOBC bodies through the IOBC nominees on the Panel.
Composition and way of working
- EPPO members of the joint Panel are nominated by member countries (or other approved bodies) through the usual EPPO procedure, while the IOBC nominates a number of its members to participate. A representative of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association participates as an invited expert.
- Where necessary the EPPO members may meet separately to consider specific issues of concern for regulators in the EPPO member countries.
- Panel members are selected on the basis of their expertise and serve in an individual capacity.
- EPPO Standards in the PM6 series cover all types of biological control agents, but the expertise of the Panel is generally on invertebrate BCAs.
- When the Panel works on a subject for which the expertise is not available in the Panel, external expertise may be sought.
- The Panel normally meets annually. In between annual meetings it may meet by teleconference, and may hold e-mail consultations to facilitate rapid decision making.
- Reports of meetings are circulated usually within four weeks in draft and participants are given two weeks in which to comment. After that the report is finalized.
- The Panel submits its draft Standards, advice and recommendations to the Working Party on Phytosanitary Regulations for further consideration, and may consult this Working Party or the Working Party on Plant Protection Products, as appropriate, in relation to significant issues in relation to regulation of biological control agents.
- The EPPO Secretariat provides the Chair and Secretary for meetings.