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EFSA Scientific Colloquium XVIII on Towards holistic approaches to the risk assessment of multiple stressors in bees

15th May 2013 @ 12:00 am - 16th May 2013 @ 12:00 am

Bees play an important role in the ecosystem and the food chain  through pollination, plant biodiversity maintenance and the provision of food  and derived-hive products for human uses and therefore their protection is  essential. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which improves EU food  safety and ensures a high level of consumer protection also need to protect  bees and the ecosystem services they provide to humans. This task is currently  undertaken by the Pesticides Risk Assessment (PRAS), Animal Health and Welfare  (AHAW), Plant Health (PLH), Genetically and Modified Organisms (GMO),  Scientific Assessment and Support (SAS) and the Emerging Risks (EMRISK) Units.

Given the consensus  reached among scientists about the multifactorial origin of bee colony losses  and the increasing body of scientific evidence showing the way stressors in  bees may interact rather than acting solely, it is timely to assess the risks  posed to bees and their services in a more integrated and multidisciplinary  manner.

In line with the EFSA strategy which is to consider  risk assessments (RA) in a wider integrated manner promoting in-house  scientific expertise, tightening transversal collaborations across units and  enhancing the inclusion of environmental aspects in the RA scheme, the EMRISK  Unit of the Science Strategy and Coordination Directorate (SCISTRAT) whose  mission is to identify and coordinate horizontal scientific issues, established  an internal task force to reinforce the protection of bees and their ecosystem  services. In particular, the task force which includes representatives of the  PRAS, AHAW, PLH, GMO, SAS and EMRISK Units and Communications Directorate has  the objectives to identify cross-cutting issues, gaps of knowledge, research  needs and recommendations based on the most recent developments made in the  areas of bees and pollination, monitoring and risk assessment (EFSA, 2012). To  perform this exercise, that is to review the state of the art of the work and  research produced on bees in these areas, both inside and outside EFSA, the  internal task force needs to liaise and exchange with stakeholders, from  national, European and International Organisations.

This Colloquium  untitled “Towards holistic approaches to  the risk assessment of multiple stressors in bees” will offer a unique  opportunity to both international experts and EFSA for an open scientific  debate on the most recent scientific progress made on pollination, monitoring  and risk assessment of multiple stressors in bees along with current and  futures challenges for food risk assessment in the European Union.

Registration is limited to 100 experts and closes on 3 April so for further information including the draft programme and how to register, please visit http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/event/130515.htm [SOURCE: EFSA]

Details

Start:
15th May 2013 @ 12:00 am
End:
16th May 2013 @ 12:00 am

Venue

Parma, Italy