8th Meeting of the Panel on Harmonization of data on plant protection products

EPPO Headquarters, Paris, 2018-03-05/07

 

 

The Panel on Harmonization of data on plant protection products met in Paris at the EPPO headquarters on 2018-03-05/07 to discuss the development of the EPPO Codes to describe the uses of plant protection products. This meeting was organized back to back with the EPPO Codes users meeting. The main reasons to develop EPPO Codes for plant protection products uses include the need for harmonized definitions of declared uses of PPPs to facilitate communication among countries. This is of particular relevance to registration authorities in the framework of the mutual recognition and zonal assessment required in EU Regulation 1107/2009. Data exchange and the work related to extrapolation of data for efficacy evaluation of minor uses would also be facilitated by the development of harmonized codes.

 

 

 

Implementation of non-taxonomic codes in the EPPO Global Database

The implementation, by the EPPO Secretariat, of non-taxonomic EPPO Codes in the EPPO Global Database was presented to participants. This includes, so far, the harmonized classification for crop groups and crop destinations discussed by the Panel at its last meeting and agreed by the EPPO Working Party on Plant Protection Products. An official from the European Commission (DG SANTE) participated in the Panel meeting to present how EPPO Codes are used in PPPAMS, to discuss collaboration with EPPO and identify priorities for creation of Codes.

 

 

Development of a harmonized classification to describe plant protection products uses

The Panel continued to discuss the classification of non-taxonomic Codes in the context of PPP efficacy evaluation and based on potential usefulness for registration purposes:

  • The Panel refined the existing classification of Codes for crop groups, including arable crops, fruit, vegetables and ‘herbs, spices and medicinal plants’;
  • The classifications for ornamentals, forestry crops and grassland were finalized to be added to the crop groups’ classification;
  • Classifications for the Codes to characterize crop location and treated objects were also agreed;
  • The Panel discussed the classification of Codes (and groups) for targets which will need to be finalized by the EPPO Panel on Efficacy Evaluation of Herbicides and PGRs and by the EPPO Panel on Efficacy Evaluation Fungicides and Insecticides.

 

The Codes proposed by the Panel will be presented to the Working Party for approval and integration into the EPPO Global Database.

 

The next meeting of the Panel on Harmonization of data on PPP will take place in Paris, at the EPPO headquarters, on 2019-03-11/13.