FACTS TO KNOW
- RATION is a research project that stands for Risk Assessment Innovation for Low-Risk Pesticides
- RATION was funded by the European Commission (Grant Agreement No. 101084163) with a budget of 7 million euros.
- RATION started at 1st November 2022 and will last 4 years.
THE PROJECT
RATION is going to address a pressing problem at EU level about the regulatory constraints that obstruct the full potential and market reach out of Low-Risk Pesticides.
Low Risk Pesticides include
• plant extracts
• semiochemicals like pheromones and allelochemicals,
• microbial pesticides and new microbial solutions (phages, protists, microbial consortia)
• ds-RNA pesticides.
THE AIM
The project’s aim is to develop a novel, concrete and research-based risk assessment scheme, supported by the necessary guidance on methods and tools, tailored to the specific characteristics of established and emerging LRP solutions.
Interrelated WPs will serve this achievement therefore WP are going to
map the current status of LRPs in Europe and identify main regulatory constraints (WP1) develop and validate, through a proof-of-concept exercise, innovative RA (and associated tools) for microbials (WP2) plant extracts, semiochemicals, pheromones (WP3) and ds-RNA (WP4) and from there build a harmonized RA for all LRP and determine its socioeconomic impact (WP5) to effectively communicate and disseminate the new RA knowledge and its associated tools to relevant actors (WP6).
THE HOW
The goals of RATION will be implemented by multi-disciplinary partnership associates from academia, industry and regulatory bodies that represent 10 member states and 2 non-EU member states.
Specific Objectives
RATION main objective is supported by 8 specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based objectives (Os):
O1: Gather fragmented knowledge and guidance on LRP regulatory process and federate the actors of the crop protection sector to have an objective approach of the stakes and perspectives (WP1)
O2: Develop and verify a novel, improved RA scheme tailored to the different LRP groups (WP2, 3, 4)
O3: Develop and verify novel toxicity and ecotoxicity tests and procedures that will pave the way for the sensitive and targeted assessment of LRPs facilitating their rapid placement in the market (WP2, 3, 4)
O4: Develop and verify novel tools for the identification of RA-relevant NTOs and for the prediction of environmental exposure of LRPs, as a necessary step for a scientifically sound RA scheme (WP3, 4)
O5: Set the basis for future standardisation and validation of the developed tools and methods (WP2, 3, 4)
O6: Propose a harmonized RA scheme encompassing common pathways among LRP groups (WP5)
O7: Determine and analyse the socioeconomic impacts of implementing the proposed RA in the EU (WP5)
O8: Disseminate and exploit tools, data and knowledge generated to establish a transparent RA process (WP6)
Expected Outcomes (EO)
EO1: Improve risk assessment of new so-called LRP with the use of relevant methods
EO2: Foster EU regulatory science and risk assessment of new LRP for agriculture
EO3: Ensure the safety of new LRPs used in agriculture through robust and transparent risk assessment
EO4: Increase the availability of safe and environmentally friendly methods for plant protection
Products
Bioinformatic software to identify NTOs for ds-RNA pesticides relevant for hazard identification in RA of these pesticide group (IMBB-FORTH)
Mathematical models for the calculation of the exposure for ds-RNA, plant extracts and semiochemicals (AEIFORIA HELLAS)
Optimized screening toxicity or ecotoxicity tests adjusted to the needs and requirements of RA of LRPs (WUR, ECT)
Smart phone application (LRapP) providing online digital infos on LRPs (UTH)
