Sponsors
University of California, Riverside
United States Department of Agriculture
US Environmental Protection Agency
Our Goals
Our goal is to foster communication and discussion of the regulatory process as it applies to microbial pesticides, genetically engineered microbials / paratransgenesis, and transgenic insects. We seek to satisfy two aims in offering our workshops. First, we wish to offer workshops that discuss the risk assessment process and regulatory requirements for the regulated microbials and insects by the appropriate regulatory agencies. Second, we are interested in providing a forum for the discussion of the impacts of regulatory requirements on experimental design, data collection, and problem solving in actual field experiments in pest control.The rationale for these workshops is to bring the regulated community (i.e., private, government, and university researchers) and regulators (i.e., USDA-APHIS-PPQ, APHIS-BRS, EPA-BPPD, EPA-OPPT) together for a frank discussion and exploration of the risk assessment process used to determine risk mitigation techniques and regulatory approval for experimental use. Given that the regulatory process can be lengthy and expensive, as well as nebulous at times since case-by-case variations exist for risk assessment and management decisions, it is imperative that both parties effectively communicate their needs for an increased understanding. The regulated community would benefit from a clearer understanding of the regulatory process, including data requirements, which agency or agencies have authority to regulate their research, what the regulatory authorities are, and acceptable mitigation measures. Similarly, the regulators would benefit from a greater understanding of the field situation facing researchers developing novel technologies. Discussion of some of these issues in an open forum will foster a more efficient process for both parties as well as ultimately benefit agricultural producers and the general consumer