Future pesticide risk assessment: narrowing the gap between intention and reality

Agrochemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers, have facilitated an unprecedented intensification of agriculture 1, 2. However, the desired yield gains come at the cost of unwanted side effects on the environment. Pesticides have been demonstrated to contribute to the decline of non-target organisms, such as bees, birds and aquatic biodiversity 3, 4, 5, fueling the global biodiversity crisis. This runs contrary to global efforts to protect biodiversity and, in particular, also to the aims of the European Union’s (EU) pesticide regulation 6. Consistent exceedances of regulatory thresholds 7 and revisions of authorizations of pesticides, such as of neonicotinoid insecticides in the EU by the Standing Committee on plants, animals, food and feed (PAFF Committee), also attest to deficiencies in regulatory pesticide risk assessment and management.