26th Meeting of the Panel on General Standards on Efficacy Evaluation

Madrid, 2026-02-24/26

 

The Panel on General Standards on Efficacy Evaluation considers all general aspects of data requirements for efficacy evaluation of plant protection products (PPPs) and promotes harmonisation of data requirements to facilitate communication and regulatory data exchange on PPPs between authorities in different countries and between industry (applicants). The list of members and the Terms of Reference of the Panel are available on the EPPO website.

 

The Panel meeting was held Madrid, on February 24–26, 2026. Thanks are due to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and to the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research (INIA-CSIC) for hosting the meeting. The meeting was attended by the EPPO Scientific Officers Mr Lucchesi (Chair) and Mr Martinez Perez, 12 Panel members from 12 EPPO countries and one industry representative (CropLife Europe). Three observers also attended the meeting.

 

 

The Panel continued its work on preparing General Standards for conducting field trials to evaluate the efficacy of PPPs. The Panel worked on the development of two new General Standards:

 

  • PP 1 (NEW) Principles for conducting efficacy trials for PPP adjuvants to define their field of use. The Standard will provide guidance on how to generate efficacy data to support adjuvant claims in countries requiring adjuvant authorisation.
  • PP 1 (NEW) How to perform monitoring of the sensitivity of pests to PPPs. The Standard will assist efficacy evaluators and PPP applicants to understand when monitoring data are needed.

 

It is expected that the first Standard will be sent for country consultation this year while the draft for monitoring data will need to be further developed by the EPPO Expert Working Group on PPP Resistance.

The Panel also worked on the revision of six General Standards to update their requirements:

 

  • Revision of PP 1/225(2) Minimum effective dose.
  • Revision of PP 1/207(2) Effects on succeeding crops.
  • Revision of PP 1/256(1) Effects on adjacent crops.
  • Revision of PP 1/257(2) Efficacy and crop safety extrapolations for minor uses (a minor editorial revision to include reference to the EPPO Extrapolation database).
  • Revision of PP 1/241 (3) Guidance on comparable climates.
  • Revision of PP 1/152(4) Design and analysis of efficacy evaluation trials.

 

It is expected that the first five Standards will be sent for country consultation this year while the revision for PP 1/152(4) Design and analysis of efficacy evaluation trials will need further work.

 

The Panel was also updated concerning the activities of the four Expert Working Groups (EWGs) working under its guidance: the EWG on Resistance to PPPs, the EWG on Harmonization of Data on PPPs, the EWG for the Extrapolation Database, and the EWG on Digital Technologies. The Panel appreciated the effort of these EWGs and acknowledged the improvements in the EPPO Database on Resistance Cases and the EPPO Database on PPP Data Extrapolation. The activities of the European Minor Uses Coordination Facility were also presented to the Panel.

 

The next meeting of the Panel is tentatively scheduled to take place on 23-25 February 2027.