Plants - Afssa's missions

Improved knowledge of the procedure

At the national level
The marketing of preparations is subject to authorisation from the French Ministry of Agriculture, on a usage-by-usage basis (treatment to vines, to fruit trees, before or after harvesting, etc.), after Anses has given its opinion.

At the European level
The use of active substances (1) is subject to authorization from the European Commission. As a member of the European Food Safety Authority panel of experts, Anses participates in this assessment in the role of:
· sponsor, by drawing up draft assessment reports used as the basis for the EFSA's deliberations
· reviewer, by examining, with the other experts on the panel, draft assessment reports drawn up by other member states.

(1) Active substances: molecules having a pesticide effect and constituting the base of preparations.

Improved research into risks and benefits

A structured three-stage approach:
1/ Afssa first verifies the scientific validity of the data provided by manufacturers
2/ It then assesses the risks and benefits relating to the use of these products, and produces a summary
3/ Lastly, it draws up recommendations for use of the products.

Afssa studies the risks for
· users (agricultural workers, gardeners, etc)
· consumers
· natural environments (soil, air, water)
· living organisms (soil micro-organisms, flora and fauna).

It evaluates the agricultural benefits and effectiveness
Taking account of:
· data on the effectiveness of products intended to combat crop pests
· data on the specific risks relating to the crop to be protected or the pests targeted (2)
· analysis of the data produced by experiments (open field trials, comparison of treated and untreated plots) providing information about the product's benefits.

(2) Phytotoxicity for this crop, and for subsequent and adjacent crops, risks of deterioration in plant quality or risks of product resistance developing.

The risks and benefits summary weighs up the risks identified during the assessment for users, agricultural workers, consumers and the environment against the agronomic benefits for the requested use(s) of the product.
The Agency recommends best practices for product usage and if necessary, usage restrictions for hazardous products and tracking of the conditions where it is used.

The diagnostic facilities available to the Agency

One entity, the plant and environment department with specialist units and the participation of 3 scientific panels:
5 specialised units:
· Physics-chemistry / Analysis methods unit
· Toxicology / Workplace health unit
· Residues / Consumer safety unit
· Environment / Ecotoxicology unit
· Effectiveness unit

3 Scientific panels:
· Chemical phytopharmaceutical products
· Phytopharmaceutical products, micro organisms
· Fertilisers and crop-growing media

The Agency's remit includes the scientific assessment of crop treatment products before they come onto the market:
researching market authorization applications presented by manufacturers, assessing the effectiveness of such products on the crops concerned and the risks that they may pose to human health and the environment, and submitting Opinions to the authorities in charge of market authorization decisions.