Public consultation of the Scientific Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) regarding the draft scientific Opinion on the science behind the guidance for scenario selection and scenario parameterisation for predicting environmental

EFSA's Panel on plant protection products and their residues (PPR Panel) has launched an open consultation on the draft scientific Opinion on the science behind the guidance for scenario selection and scenario parameterisation for predicting environmental concentrations in soil.

In 1997 FOCUS developed the first guidance at the EU level for exposure assessment of plant protection products in soil. This included a simple approach for estimating PECSOIL (Predicted Environmental Concentration in soil) but it did not develop scenarios for numerical models (in contrast to subsequent FOCUS workgroups which developed such scenarios for surface water and groundwater). In 2006 FOCUS developed detailed guidance on estimating degradation rate parameters from laboratory and field studies, but also did not develop exposure scenarios. Nevertheless there is need at the EU level for such scenarios in view of ongoing discussions in peer review experts groups on PECSOIL. The existing Guidance Document on Persistence in Soil (9188/VI/97 rev 8) published in 2000 did not include scenarios. Therefore the Panel started a revision of the existing Guidance Document on Persistence in Soil by developing tiered exposure-assessment approaches for soil organisms in which European exposure scenarios play an important role. This has resulted in this guidance proposal for a tiered exposure-assessment approach. This approach is based on development of scenarios representing realistic worst-case conditions for the three regulatory zones North/ Centre/South as presented in Annex 1 of the new regulation (EC) 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market.

Interested parties are invited to submit written comments by means of the electronic form available on this page by 13 September 2013. Please note that comments submitted by e-mail or by post cannot be taken into account. The outcome of this consultation will be taken into account for the development of the inventory and the new Guidance Document.

Comments should refer to the chapters of Scientific Opinion, as provided for in the electronic form, and to the line numbering.

If interested parties wish to contribute studies or data to support a particular comment, these should be published or accepted for publication in scientific reports or journals and clear reference to where the supporting information is found should be made.

It should be noted that a submission will not under any circumstances be considered if:

• It is submitted after the deadline set out in the call;
• It is presented in any other form than the instructions and template provide for;
• It contains comments which do not relate to the contents of the document;
• It contains information on individual cases;
• It contains complaints against institutions, personal accusations, irrelevant or offensive statements or material;
• It is related to policy or risk management aspects, which is out of the scope of EFSA's activity.

Furthermore,

• Repeated comments received from the same contributor will appear only once.
• Comments submitted by individuals on personal capacity will be published anonymously.
• Comments submitted formally on behalf of an organization will appear with the name of the organization.

EFSA will assess all relevant comments from interested parties which are submitted in line with the above criteria. The comments will be evaluated by the EFSA’s Scientific Panel on plant protection products and their residues (PPR Panel) and taken into consideration where these will enhance the scientific quality, understanding and usefulness of the guidance. Following this procedure EFSA will publish the relevant comments received, as well as a short report on the outcome of the consultation.