2014 Congress Programme

The programme included presentations from influential industry, government, and academic representatives, and leading consultants. Sessions covered mainstream agrochemical and biopesticide regulatory activities, relevant developments in human and environmental health, current regulatory “hotspots” (yes, including updates on pollinator issues!) and reflections on balancing risk, precaution and innovation.

29 September
Tour of Brighton – 16:30 – 18:00
Pre-event Welcome Drinks Reception to be held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Brighton – 18:00 – 19:00
(Sponsor – Eurofins Agroscience Services Limited)
Registration: 07:00 – 08:45, Conference starts: 09:00
Day 1 – 30 September
PLENARY
09.00 – 10.00
Chair: Dr. Colin Ruscoe, BCPC
The Precautionary Principle – is EU Innovation Losing Out?
Dr. Peter Maienfisch, Syngenta Crop Protection
Break 10.00 – 10.30
Stream A (Regulatory)
Chair: Lucy Croucher, JSC International Limited
Stream B (Biopesticides)
Chair: William Dunham, DunhamTrimmer LLC
10.30 – 11.00 Overview of progress in the regulation of plant protection products – industry view
Aurélie Dhaussy, European Crop Protection Association, aisbl
10.30 – 11.00 Developing biopesticides in an increasingly challenging regulatory environment
Dr. Alison Stewart, Marrone Bio Innovations
11.00 – 11.30 Overview of progress in the regulation of plant protection products – Member State view
Gordon Rennick, Pesticide Registration & Control Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Ireland
11.00 – 11.30 Role of microbial pesticides in the multinational portfolio
William Dunham, DunhamTrimmer LLC
11.30 – 12.00 Overview of progress in the regulation of plant protection products – the Grower’s view
Don Pendergrast, National Farmers Union
11.30 – 12.00 A brighter future for plant derived pesticides from a regulatory perspective?
Dr. Roma Gwynn, Rationale Limited
12.00 – 12.15 Q&A 12.00 – 12.15 Q&A
Lunch 12.15 – 13.30
Stream A (Regulatory)
Chair: Rob Mason, Exponent International Limited
Stream B (Environmental science)
Chair: Mike Coulson, Syngenta Ltd
13.30 – 14.00 Overview of zonal authorisation
Tracy Roberts, Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Health and Safety Executive
13.30 – 14.00 Neonicotinoids and bees – where are we now?
Mike Coulson, Syngenta Ltd
14.00 – 14.30 Work of the Central Zone Steering Committee
Dr. Annette E. Smits-van Prooije, Ctgb
14.00 – 14.30 Endocrine Disruption: hazard and risk
Dr. James Wheeler, Dow AgroSciences
Break 14.30 – 15.00
15.00 – 15.50 Regulatory panel open debate
Chaired by Steve Dobson, TSGE Consulting
15.00 – 15.50 TOPPS-Prowadis Best Management Practices and risk mitigation tools
Dr. Inge Mestdagh, Dow AgroSciences
(15:00 – 15:30)
Followed by Q&A (15:30 – 15:50)
PLENARY
16.00 – 16.30
Chair: Dr. Colin Ruscoe, BCPCA new way forward, balancing precautionary and innovation principles
Paul Leonard, BASF Group
hse-small-logoUK HSE will hold a keynote presentation followed by a Q&A session at the end of Day 1 of the BCPC Congress entitled:HSE as a modern regulator of Plant Protection Products under Regulation 1107/2009

Sarah Shore (Head of Biocides, Pesticides and Environment), Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD), Health and Safety Executive
It will be held at the Hilton Metropole, Brighton, UK on Tuesday 30 September from 16.45-18.30

Evening of 30 September
Congress Dinner to be held at the Mercure Brighton Seafront Hotel – 19:30 (dinner to be served from 20:00)
(Sponsor – APC)
Day 2 – 1 October
Registration: 08:00 – 08:45, Conference starts: 09:00
PLENARY
09.00 – 09.50
Chair: Dr. Colin Ruscoe, BCPC
Anticipatory Governance and Responsible Innovation: “Newspeak” and the political control of technology

Professor Joyce Tait, ESRC Innogen Institute, The University of Edinburgh
Stream A (Legal issues)
Chair: Lucy Croucher, JSC International Limited
Stream B (Human health)
Chair: Dr. Manoj Aggarwal, Dow AgroSciences
10.00 – 10.30 Legal highlights of 2014
Claudio Mereu, fieldfisher
10.00 – 10.30 Cumulative risk assessment
Dr. Stephanie Melching-Kollmuß, BASF SE
Break 10.30 – 11.00
11.00 – 11.30 Data confidentiality and the glyphosate issue
Darren Abrahams, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
11.00 – 11.30 Challenging the reliability of conservative default dermal absorption with in vitro data
Dr. Manoj Aggarwal, Dow AgroSciences
11.30 – 11.45 Q&A 11.30 – 11.45 Q&A
Lunch 11.45 – 12.45
Stream A (Regulatory)
Chair: Rob Mason Exponent International Limited
Stream B (Efficacy)
Chair: Sue Mattock, Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Health and Safety Executive 
12.45 – 13.15 EU Regulation 1107/2009: Developments in the Annex I Renewal Process and Article 43
Dr. Michael Carroll, Dow AgroSciences
12.45 – 13.15 Rationalising efficacy requirements
Sue Mattock, Chemicals Regulation Directorate, Health and Safety Executive
13.15 – 13.45 Candidates for Substitution and Comparative Assessment
Janet Williams, Bayer CropScience Ltd
13.15 – 13.45 Efficacy
Dr. Udo Heimbach, Julius Kühn Institut (JKI)
13.45 – 14.00 Q&A 13.45 – 14.00 Q&A
Break 14.00 – 14.30
PLENARY
Chair: Dr. Michael Carroll, Dow AgroSciences
14.30 – 15.00 The consequences of regulating co-formulants
Christopher Dobe, Syngenta Ltd
15.00 – 15.30 Basic and low risk substance regulation
Hanneke Westland-Kaijser, Ctgb
15.30 – 15.45 Q&A
15.45 – 16.00 Close of Congress from the BCPC Chairman, Dr. Colin Ruscoe