Economics pesticide development

Despite these interesting developments, it has been pointed out [11,517] that because of the relatively small market and the costs of registration and ecotoxicological testing, it is currently unlikely that novel agents designed specifically for wool could be marketed economically. Any further advances are likely to be spin-offs from agricultural pesticide developments. 

Until 1991, manufacturers seeking authorizations for pesticides had to fulfil country-specific requirements of validation of enforcement methods. The term enforcement method means analytical methods which are developed for post-registration control and monitoring purposes. The harmonization of these requirements was initiated with the European Economic Community (EEC) Council Directive 91/414/EEC and temporarily finalized with the Guidance Document on Residue Analytical Methods SANCO/825/00 rev. 6, dated 20 June 2000 [Santd et Protection des Consommateurs (SANCO)]. The evaluation of validation studies by the competent authority is conducted by comparison of these European Union (EU) requirements with the study results and most often without any practical experience of the method. Some details of this evaluation are discussed below. 

The danger to domestic animals, including pets, is an important hazard in the use of all newer economic poisons. Drift dusts or sprays from carelessly applied materials may set back the useful development of many valuable chemicals. Only recently have authorities finally decided that we should slow down on the use of DDT on cows until we know more about the occurrence of the chemical in rtiilk, butter, and steaks. Our sportsmen and, incidentally, a major economic factor in our pleasant way of life—the fish, game, and wildlife activities—are part and parcel of the problem of chemical usage in forests and streams. We need continued and expanded investigations of the effects of the newer pesticides on wild life. 

The host of new synthetic organic pesticides presents a variety of problems to the practicing physician because of the lack of basic fundamental information on these chemicals. The American Medical Association has organized a committee on pesticides to consider the following problems of economic poisons and to coordinate information and make it available to physicians and other interested persons or groups safe standards of use, development of prophylactic and antidotal measures, voluntary industry controls, standardization of nomenclature, and professional and public education. 

The economic impact of pesticides in nontarget species (including humans) has been estimated at approximately 8 billion annually in developing countries (Wadhwani and Lall 1972). For developing countries, it is imperative to use pesticides, as no one would prefer famine or hunger but the prices of pesticides are high and therefore allelopathy is cheap and environmental friendly solution. 

Innovation in the area of chemicals is frequently reduced to the development of new substances. The registration of new substances and relevant market shares are thus interpreted as indicators of the innovation activity (or abihty to be innovative) in various economic areas". This indieator appears at best to be eapable of indicating essential aspeets of the iimovation history for the area of the active ingredients (pharmaceuticals and pesticides) and industrial special chemicals. In the extensive market of industrial ehemicals, on the other hand, the invention of new applications for old substances, the reformulation of preparations or the invention of new chemicals services should play a more important role. 

Examples 3 and 4 illustrate a potential application of allelo-pathic chemicals in today s agricultural practices, as illustrated in Figure 3 to plant allelopathlc plants as a cover crop in the field, especially for tree crops such as peach and citrus. Such plants produce allelopathlc chemicals to control soil pests such as nematodes. This approach will be appreciated today, because there is no effective agent to control soil pests on a field scale and, as has been noted, there is no economic incentive for a chemical company to develop a minor-crop pesticide. 

Chemical products are of vital importance to the economic and social well being of our society in terms of trade and employment. Numerous chemical substances are used in a broad range of products and processes. They also help to improve the health and quality of life of the population through new developments such as in pharmaceuticals, food safety, pesticides and in many other products. During or after their use, these substances are released to the environment to a varying extent and may lead to pollution. This results in both ecological and - due to unnecessary losses - economic disadvantages. 

OECD (1996a) Guidelines for pesticides and industrial chemicals. Paris, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 

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