Sustainable Use of Insect Control Products – ICG Brochure
The Brochure
One of the main reasons some insects and other invertebrates need to be controlled is the role they play in the transmission of diseases, which are among the major causes of illness and death worldwide. In other instances, insects, mites, and other arthropods might not directly affect human or animal health but could cause substantial damage to buildings, textiles, food, feedstuffs, and significant economic impact and negative effects on quality of life.
Biocidal products play an important role in the protection of society by controlling or eliminating harmful organisms. The Biocidal Products Regulation (EU BPR, Regulation [EU] 528/2012) provides strict controls to ensure that these products are placed on the market in a safe and efficacious manner.
The EU BPR also requires the sustainable use of these products once they are placed on the market in order to ensure that their use does not cause unnecessary risk to human health, animal health and the environment (EC, 2016).
Ensuring the sustainable use of insecticides and repellents (Product Types 18 & 19 under the EU BPR) is one of the objectives of the Insect Control Group of Biocides for Europe.
With this aim, we have developed this brochure to:
(1) briefly explain how the EU BPR controls the placing on the market of these products,
(2) describe the impacts of insects on human and animal health and the environment and the need to control them,
(3) clarify what Insect Control Products are and
(4) set forth how the sustainable use of Insect Control Products is ensured.