2014, February: New draft directive on efficacy testing of pesticides

New draft directive on efficacy testing of pesticides

It is very important to ascertain that pesticides that are used in Ethiopia are efficacious against the target pest while not adversely affecting the long-term sustainability of agricultural production or disease vector control.  Moreover requirements for efficacy testing of pesticides should be clear to applicants of a registration and to research institutions conducting pesticide trials.

With this view, recently the PRRP –Ethiopia project has formulated a Directive in accordance with article 5 of the Pesticide Proclamation No. 674/2010 and articles 4, 8 of the draft Pesticides Registration and Control Regulation. This directive contains 14 articles covering various points including efficacy evaluation procedures, stages of efficacy testing and testing  procedures, assessing effectiveness of the pesticide, adverse effects (i.e phytotoxicity and effects on yield and beneficial insects (e.g bees, natural enemies of pests), development of resistance etc.), reporting and fees.   

This directive also covers guidance on acceptance of pesticide efficacy data generated outside Ethiopia. Moreover, the updated general guidelines for pesticide testing, version 5.2, of EIAR, have been incorporated into the Directive.

The project also finalized a separate pesticide efficacy evaluation manual to support the implementation of the directive.

The criteria set in the evaluation manual refer to those provisions specified in the directive and apply to both chemical and biological pesticides to be used in open field and covered agriculture.