News

Special Event: Global Minor Use Summit
3 - 7 December 2007, FAO HQ, Rome, Italy
(Including 3 days of formal meetings and 1.5 days of training sessions)

Background
A collaboration of the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations, the US Department of Agriculture (the Foreign Agricultural Service and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service’s IR-4 Project), the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the CropLife International presents you the Global Minor Use Summit.  This will be the first global event on specialty crops and minor uses for the global agriculture community.

Specialty crops are an increasingly important component of international agricultural trade.  Obstacles such as disincentives for pesticide development and registration, financial and technical constraints for residue data generation, and discrepancies in regulatory standards among countries limit access to newer, safer pest control methods for the growers, elevate trade conflicts, and increase food safety concerns.

While various countries (mainly OECD and the US) have worked to develop registration strategies for specialty crops and minor uses, disparate standards and controls prevent growers from utilizing these products. The US IR-4 Project, which has been working for over 40 years in developing pesticide registration and regulation strategies, is recognized by several international partners as a suitable minor model.  The IR-4 Project is wiling to share its experiences with the global agriculture community and to work collaboratively to seek solutions for minor use problems.  To introduce the IR-4 Model, to improve crop protection for specialty crops, and to facilitate regional/international agricultural commodity trade, the FAO, USDA, US EPA, and CropLife International have worked together and initiated the Global Minor Use Summit.

Objectives:
• To bring countries and organizations together and address challenges in specialty crops and minor uses;
• To discuss approaches on a harmonized data generation program and crop grouping/classification system that will facilitate harmonized MRL regulations, which will enhance the effectiveness of crop protection, raise food safety standards and promote international trade;
• To agree on training programs for GAP trials, analytical procedures, and residue data package generation;
• To help countries gain access to advanced residue programs and learn how to    establish such programs.

For more information, click here to download the Global Minor Use Summit Announcement in English, in Arabic, in French and in Spanish.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed in March 2007 a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in a Joint Programme For The Sound Management Of Pesticides.

FAO and WHO are in a unique position within the UN-system in that they advise Member States on the use of pesticides for agriculture and public health respectively. The Agreement marks a new chapter in the collaboration of the two organizations and provides unified, coordinated and consistent advice and support to their Member States and to other stakeholders on sound management of pesticides.

The International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides (Code of Conduct) is the framework and the general guiding document for the sound management of pesticides. The Code of Conduct has established standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in, or associated with, the distribution and use of pesticides. The Code of Conduct includes the life-cycle concept of pesticide management and focuses on risk reduction and the protection of human health and the environment.

The Agreement builds on the long-standing and excellent cooperation that exists between the two Organizations of which two examples are the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) and the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Specifications (JMPS).

Click here to download the excerpt of the MoU

 Through this Update the Pesticide Management Group wishes to inform you on new publications, reports and upcoming events deriving from its work. Download already published updates

Please send your comments, input, suggestions to Pesticide-Management@fao.org.