Workshop on implementing EC Roadmap on phasing out animals in pesticides and biocides
Background
On 1st June 2026, the European Commission published its Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments (Roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs).
The document is the outcome of two years of work involving relevant stakeholders, including executive agencies such as EFSA, ECHA and EMA. It contains a series of actions aimed at supporting the transition towards animal-free approaches, as well as a series of scientific recommendations to enable the broader integration of non-animal methods across initiative to stop animal testing in line with the objectives of the European Citizens' Initiative Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics – Commit to a Europe without Animal Testing.
Objectives of the meeting
This workshop aims to present the ongoing activities undertaken by EFSA and ECHA in support of the roadmap actions, and to engage with relevant stakeholders (i.e. Member States representatives, industry, academia, risk managers and NGOs) in discussions on the way forward for the broader implementation of non-animal approaches in pesticides and biocides safety assessment.
Structure of the meeting
Following the opening plenary session and introductory speeches, the meeting will continue with a series of targeted discussions and panel sessions addressing both challenges and opportunities associated with implementing the roadmap actions and recommendations in pesticides and biocides safety assessment. Parallel sessions will be held at the end of the first day to enable more focused discussions.
The second day will summarise the main conclusions and discuss the way forward as a joint community. EFSA will prepare a short report summarising the discussions, which will be published together with the presentations shared during the event.
Who should attend?
The meeting is intended for all interested stakeholders with expertise in pesticides and biocides regulations, as well as in the application of New Approach methodologies (NAMs) in risk assessment. Participation is limited to a maximum of 100 participants, including speakers and other experts already identified by EFSA. A further selection process will ensure balanced representation across fields of expertise, stakeholder groups and geographical areas.
On-line registration
The registration form can be found here.
Please note that registration may close once the maximum number of participants is reached or, at the latest, by 17 September 2026.
After closure of registration, potential participants will be informed whether they have been selected for participation.
Organisational details
The event will be held at EFSA’s premises in Parma, Italy on 21-22 October 2026 from 09:30 to 17:30 on the first day and from 09:00 to 13:00 CEST on the second day. Further details will be communicated to selected participants. English will be the language of the event, and no translation will be provided.
Participation is free of charge. However, only participants with an official role in the programme are eligible for travel and accommodation coverage. All other participants are responsible for covering their own travel and accommodation expenses.
Online participation is not foreseen, register for this meeting if you can come in person.
Note: back-to-back with this meeting, the RiskHunter symposium will organise a meeting at the EFSA premises. Further information is available here.
Contact
Do not hesitate to contact the organising committee at events [at] efsa.europa.eu (events[at]efsa[dot]europa[dot]eu) for more information.