Principles of Regulation
Pesticide regulation varies enormously around the world, reflecting economic development, political priorities and the importance of agriculture. However, this variation provides an extensive source of information and experience to draw upon when looking for effective standards and best practices in order to establish what CropLife International has called the “Principles of Regulation”, which satisfy the needs of our societies and meets the global challenges of the future.
The CropLife International proposition for a universal approach to the “Principles of Regulation”:
- considers societal expectations of regulation
- offers a set of commonly recognized regulatory principles
- takes the principles into practice and identifies a number of best practices for effective registration
These Principles of Regulation can equally be used as building blocks for new regulation or as measures for continuous improvement of existing regulation.
Societal Expectations of Regulation
There is no doubt that regulation is a basis for setting standards which builds both understanding and societal trust. To do this regulation must:
- Set protection goals – they should not be set without due care and attention nor should they be overly conservative. Protection goals that are clear and rational form the basis for assessing the proposed use and assist in reaching a balanced decision.
- Have procedures that are implementable – they should be neither inadequate nor overly complex, but rather procedures should be built around a common framework that creates trust and opportunities for work share or for building capacity.
- Adopt informed decision-making – they should not make ad-hoc decisions nor should they be ideological. Decisions should be based on evidence and use a common framework so that understanding and capabilities can be improved around the world.
- Enable market access – uncontrolled market entry is not acceptable but nor are unnecessary restrictions. The benefits of the technology can be realized whilst ensuring that the protection goals are met.
- Be enforceable – ensure compliance with the acceptable approval and enforceability through shared responsibility.