Challenges In Planning And Execution Of Efficacy Field Trials Of Urban Insect Control Products Under European Biocidal Product Regulation Guidance

In order to bring a new insecticide product to market in Europe there is a requirement to register it under the Biocidal Products Regulations (PT 18). One part of the process in granting a registration requires the submission and acceptance of a dossier that includes evidence demonstrating the efficacy of the product. The guidance notes offer means by which a submitted product may be tested to demonstrate compliance with the regulations. One term defined within this guidance is ‘population control’ which, when used in the context of defining efficacy of field trials for insecticides in the urban environments sets a hard limit of a population reduction of or exceeding 90% relative to either untreated sites or pre-treatment levels after a period of 2-10
weeks. The challenge of providing and executing useful and robust experimental designs under such circumstances against a backdrop of demanding customer expectations is discussed. The difficulties of running replicable field trials in urban pest environments is discussed and a case made for the increased acceptance of simulated use trials by competent authorities as a more robust way of demonstrating product efficacy under field conditions through the control of variables than undertaking trials on infested urban sites.