Abeilles

ANSES and the Technical and Scientific Institute for Beekeeping and Pollination sign a partnership agreement as part of the phytopharmacovigilance scheme

ANSES and the Technical and Scientific Institute for Beekeeping and Pollination (ITSAP) have signed a partnership agreement to strengthen their collaboration in the area of phytopharmacovigilance. This three-year agreement will help better identify the adverse effects of plant protection products on bee health through the rapid detection of signals, and therefore improve the measures taken to prevent or limit the risks associated with the use of these products.

Plant protection products can present risks to human health and ecosystems that need to be identified and better anticipated. To tackle this issue, the Act on the future of agriculture, food and forestry of 13 October 2014 entrusted ANSES with setting up a phytopharmacovigilance scheme.

The aim of phytopharmacovigilance is to monitor the adverse effects of plant protection products available on the market. It covers the contamination of environments, exposure and its impacts on living organisms and ecosystems, and phenomena of emerging resistance, and is based on the systematic and regular collection of information produced in the area of surveillance and vigilance.

The mission of the Technical and Scientific Institute of Beekeeping and Pollination (ITSAP)is to contribute to the development of beekeeping through experimentation, applied research, technical and economic assistance, coordination, information outreach and training. The measures it implements primarily aim to ensure the good health of the bee population and guarantee the quality of hive products.

By signing a framework partnership agreement with ANSES, ITSAP joins the organisations of the phytopharmacovigilance network, where it will help provide the data necessary for the scheme's operation. This will reinforce the collection, access and exchange of data on honeybee exposure to plant protection products and the effects on colonies, as well as on the contamination of beekeeping matrices.

This collaboration should therefore make available the broadest possible signal-gathering sources, with a view to the earliest detection of any signals potentially requiring measures to be taken to prevent or limit the risks to bee health associated with these products.