I was fortunate to be able to attend the Biopesticide Registration Improvement Course (BRIC) held 13-15 April 2011 at the US EPA headquarters in Arlington Virginia, USA.

Representatives from US EPA, Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency as well as industry representatives from all NAFTA countries were present.

Full marks to the organisers who pulled together an excellent meeting.

An important point from the meeting was the way the US and Canadian Governments are promoting reduced risk products.  The regulators work with industries to facilitate availability of reduced risk products.

1. The IR-4 program (http://ir4.rutgers.edu/) provides funds for development of selected prducts.  Furthermore, registration applications submitted by IR-4 are exempt from payment of registration fees to US EPA.
2. The Canadian Government Pesticide Risk Reduction Program, a joint initiative of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), works to reduce the risks from pesticides used in the agriculture and the agri-food industry in Canada (http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1288277891464&lang=eng).
3. The Canadian Pest Management Centre works to improve access to low-risk, environmentally sustainable and economically competitive pest control tools and practices, including biopesticides  (http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1288727518132&lang=eng).  Besides providing advice, The Pest Management Centre funds development projects.  It works closely with registrants, PMRA and growers to develop high quality submissions.
4. Both IR-4 and the Canadian Pest Management Centre work closely with the regulatory authorities in their respective countries.

We can compare this with Australia:

1. There is no support for registration of niche, reduced risk or other products.
2. HAL, which attempts to cater to the minor use needs of the horticulture industry runs a program to obtain minor use permits – not registrations.  Only already registered products can be given permits and HAL needs to pay for the permits.

A way to reduce cost of commercialising niche products needs to found.  Options might be:

1. Reduced data requirements where products have a track record of safe use elsewhere or have been evaluated by another acceptable regulator.
2. Allow confirmatory efficacy data to be obtained during early commercialising rather than prior to submission for registration.
3. Greater acceptance of overseas data to support registration in Australia.
4. Reduced fees for such niche products.

The Australian Government must recognise that Australian agriculture needs access to modern tools.  The world is demanding foods be treated with lowest risk pesticides.  Unless the Government introduces measures that facilitate the registration of low risk, niche products, Australian growers will be excluded from international markets.