Conclusions from the workshop on evaluation and regulation of biological control agents

This paper reports on the Workshop on Evaluation and Regulation of Biological Control Agents (BCAs) held in Budapest on the 23–24 November 2015. Conclusions and recommendations are summarized and explained, and some of the ways in which the recommendations are being taken forward by the joint EPPO IOBC Panel on Biological Control are described. The key conclusions are that properly authorized releases of BCAs are beneficial for crop protection and the environment, with little evidence of adverse effects. Different countries apply different types of regulation in different ways to determine whether such releases can be authorized. A more harmonized approach could increase opportunities for use of biological control and ensure that potential risks are addressed in a more coherent and consistent way.