The European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) voted in favour of MEP Sarah Wiener’s report on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation (SUR) with 47 in favour, 37 against and 2 abstentions. This vote is crucial as it is a key step towards achieving resilient farming systems capable of securing food production and protecting the environment by unlocking the potential of alternatives such as biological control. Biocontrol solutions control pests and diseases effectively in an environmentally friendly way. 

The ENVI vote in favour of MEP Sarah Wiener’s report on the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation (SUR) includes compromise amendments with key provisions for an EU-wide definition of biological control, the use of biological control in sensitive areas and the fast-track of authorisation procedures for biological control. 

According to Jennifer Lewis, IBMA Executive Director "We are delighted to see this progression as it paves the way for accelerated access to biocontrol for farmers through various, fast-track provisions. These compromise amendments will contribute to improving farmer access to biological control which is essential for resilient food systems, the Green Deal and the continued innovation of biocontrol in Europe.” 

Presented every year at the Annual Biocontrol Industry Meeting (ABIM), the Bernward Bloom Award recognises novel biocontrol solutions. The winners, announced on 23 October 2023, are 

• Gold to DCM for PEA-02 - a biocontrol solution against fire blight 
• Silver to Signs for NoReds - a new generation of red mite control
• Bronze to Koppert for Nezapar - a new parasitoid controlling stink bugs .

The winner of the category “Best Innovative product assisting biocontrol uptake” was BioBest for their product Trap-Eye which combines digital and biocontrol know-how to improve monitoring. 

We need to ensure that these and similar innovations make it into the hands of farmers faster! A vote in favour of the SUR would make this happen so we call on all MEPs and Members States to support this!