Study of the different evaluation areas in the pesticide risk assessment process: Focus on pesticides based on microorganisms.

Both chemical and microbial active substances can currently be approved as pesticides in the EU, the provisions of their approval being set under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009. Although sharing the same legal framework, chemicals and microorganisms used as pesticides have different risk profiles especially because once released into the environment, microbial active substances may produce secondary metabolites, multiply, spread and possibly genetically adapt or transfer antimicrobial resistance genes to other microorganisms. Consequently, the risk assessment process must adjust to the specificities ensuing from the chemical or microbial nature of the active substance.