Pesticides and protected crops – EFSA presents environmental risk assessment guidance
New guidance from EFSA provides a framework for carrying out environmental risk assessmentThe process of assessing potential harm to the environment caused by a substance, activity or natural occurrence. This may include the introduction of GM plants, the use of pesticides, or the spread of plant pests of pesticides emitted from protected crops – those grown in greenhouses and under cover. The document provides assistance on how and when to assess pesticideSubstance used to kill or control pests, including disease-carrying organisms and undesirable insects, animals and plants emissions into soil, surface water, groundwater and the air. It also addresses what elements should be used in exposureConcentration or amount of a particular substance that is taken in by an individual, population or ecosystem in a specific frequency over a certain amount of time scenarios for risk assessmentA specialised field of applied science that involves reviewing scientific data and studies in order to evaluate risks associated with certain hazards. It involves four steps: hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment and risk characterisation - both for soil-bound and soil-less cultivationThe cultivation of plants using a nutrient solution instead of soil; also called hydroponics systems. The guide contributes to EFSA’s ongoing work in the field of pesticides for the protection of environmental health.