DEFRA's programme management committee reviewed the RAFBCA project and scored the projects on whether it achieved the targets it set out to, whether the research was of high quality and whether the output was of significance. Please follow this link to see DEFRA's response. DEFRA scoring letter
Special Awards
Austrian Environmental Award 2001
The company F. Joh. Kwizda GmbH., represented by DI Roger Teuber-Weckersdorf and Dr Josef Raffalt, was honoured for the development of the biological insecticide Melocont Pilzgerste.
German Environmental Award 2002
Dr Peter Lueth (managing director of Prophyta GmbH) was honoured with the German Environmental Award 2002 by the German Federal Environmental Foundation for his contribution to plant protection. Dr Lueth and his team have developed several biological control agents.
Scientific Achievements
1. Identified and characterised the major metabolites produced by selected fungal BCAs developed methods and tools to conduct a targeted risk assessment -making this more reliable and industry more competitive. Some of the methods and tools include:
2. Developed methods and tools to conduct a targeted risk assessment - making this more reliable and industry more competitive. Some of the methods and tools include:
a) Molecular probes to monitor several important fungal BCAs in the environment
b) Highly sensitive SF-9 insect cell-line -more sensitive than mammalian cell-lines to a wide range of fungal metabolites
c) Extraction methods that give good recovery and repeatability
3. RAFBCA has conducted glasshouse and field trials, which show that fungal metabolites do not enter the food chain or pose a risk to consumer and animal health, nor pose environmental problems.
Dissemination
1. Consortium has produced flyers and disseminated results through numerous international scientific journals, and via oral presentations at national and international symposia.
2. The RAFBCA team has organised three highly successful workshops:
a) Helsinki, August 2004 in collaboration with the SIP, IBMA and IOBC
b) Brussels, September 2004 in collaboration with the IOBC
c) Innsbruck, October 2004
3. The original RAFBCA website (http://www.rafbca.com) which has now been archived, was visited by numerous groups from all over the world.
Contributions to EC Policy
- RAFBCA impacts on Directive 91/414/EEC and Directive 2001/36/EEC (data required on microbial BCAs in Annexes II and III Part B) by showing that the evaluation of fungal metabolites during the registration of BCAs could be simplified.
- The RAFBCA consortium has generated new data that can be used to develop a new risk assessment strategy that could help accelerate risk assessment of fungal metabolites and reduce registration costs.
- The RAFBCA team have devised strategies that could lead to a more balanced system for risk assessment and registration -and enable the EC to compete with the USA and other countries.
- RAFBCA have data that could help end users (policymakers, registration authorities, industry) and the public in making more informed decisions about fungal BCAs.