Brussels, 24/08/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has open consultations, to run until 10 September, to gather written comments from as many stakeholders as possible on three draft scientific opinions on environmental risk assessment (ERA) for potential stressors.
Biodiversity. The first opinion is a guidance document to define protection goals for environmental risk assessment in relation to biodiversity and ecosystem services. This document presents a framework that makes protection goals operational for use in ERAs conducted by EFSA.
The other two opinions are position papers outlining the state of the art. The consultation exercise will help EFSA to gather input in preparation for refining existing ERA schemes at some point in the future.
Endangered species. The draft opinion on coverage of endangered species in ERAs reviews the characteristics that determine vulnerability of these species and reviews whether or not endangered species can suffer more than non-endangered species from assessed potential stressors in an agricultural context.
Non-target organisms. This draft opinion on the temporal and spatial ecological recovery of non-target organisms for ERAs presents an integrative approach based on well-defined specific protection goals, scientific knowledge derived by means of experimentation, modelling and monitoring, and the selection of focal taxa, communities, processes and landscapes to develop environmental scenarios to allow the assessment of recovery of organisms and ecological processes at relevant spatial and temporal scales.
Environmental risk assessment considers the effects on the environment of, for example, the introduction of genetically modified plants, the use of certain substances in food, feed and plant protection products, and the introduction and spread of plant pests.
In specific fields, such as GMOs and pesticides, EFSA is required by EU legislation to carry out ERAs. In addition, EFSA also assesses the risks posed to human and animal health by chemical contaminants or microbiological hazards which may be present in the environment and which, consequently, may enter the food chain. ERAs help policy makers and regulators take sound decisions that protect the environment.
Comments may be sent by email until 10 September to:
SCER.PublicConsultPG.53@efsa.europa.eu for protection goals;
SCER.PublicConsultES.52@efsa.europa.eu for endangered species; and
SCER.PublicConsultREC.54@efsa.europa.eu for recovery. (Aminata Niang)