It is urgent that pesticide authorisation learns from reality

Abstract

Before pesticides are used, their safety is assessed by authorities based on established criteria formulated by governments and fed by data from industry. Yet despite all assessment procedures, pesticides are prevalent in the environment and environmental quality targets are frequently exceeded. This apparent contradiction undermines the credibility of regulatory authorities and ultimately science. We advocate for post-registration correction within the authorisation of pesticides. The Netherlands now links pesticide authorization to post-registration monitoring, and this pioneering approach could serve as a blueprint for other countries aiming to integrate open-access environmental data into evidence-based regulatory decision-making. The availability of open-access monitoring data enhances transparency and facilitates benchmarking, which in turn encourages pesticide users to apply pesticides with greater care.