The Biocontrol Coalition is a multistakeholder platform advocating for the European Union to rethink its framework for agriculture and food, particularly for biocontrol, to enlarge the farmer toolbox while ensuring safety and health and protecting the environment. 

What is Biocontrol and Why is It Important? 

Biocontrol entails a wide range of practices that repel, destroy, mitigate or otherwise control, pests, diseases, and weeds directly or indirectly, or help plants to better cope with the associated stresses. Biocontrol products, consisting of active substances, safeners or synergists, and/or technical additives that have undergone evaluation and approval, are an important part of these practices. Innovative biocontrol solutions are an essential element of more sustainable food systems.  

Biocontrol products are either derived from naturally occurring substances/organisms or from naturally occurring modes of action (i.e. functionally identical substances that have undergone slight modifications such as isolation, purification, or stablisiation). 

Plant Protection and Sustainability. 

Plant protection is an essential part of sustainable crop production, ensuring that the maximum amount of food grown actually reaches the table. EU farmers must tailor their production to local conditions, consumer preferences and food industry specifications, but are relying on a diminishing range of plant protection products to achieve it. New pests and increasing chemical resistance means a broader range of options – including biocontrol – is critical.  

The Need for Regulatory Change & EU’s Support. 

We need a shift in mindset in EU regulation to encourage the commercialisation of as many effective biocontrol products as possible while ensuring health, safety, and environmental protection.  

In its final report, the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture called for the Commission to “enable a robust legislative framework for biocontrol products”. 

The Biocontrol Coalition advocates for the EU to rethink its framework for agriculture and food, particularly for biocontrol. This will enable innovation which is essential for the future of sustainable agriculture.