Independent report

UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP): annual report 2023

Updated 24 May 2024

Chair’s foreword

Welcome to the 2023 Annual Report of the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP). The committee provides independent scientific advice (ISA) to the UK government and the devolved governments (the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive) on matters related to the approval, authorisation and use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs).

This year has seen numerous changes to the committee. We have been joined by Professor James Coulson and Dr Anna Rowbotham, experts in toxicology and dietary exposure, respectively. This year has also seen us establish a new method of working with the appointments of Professor Tariq Butt, Dr Irene Cano Cejas, Dr David Chandler, Dr Roma Gwynn and Dr Maureen Wakefield to our Biopesticide Cloud. This reflects our continued efforts to adapt and improve our working practices to ensure the ECP, and the governments we advise, have access to world-leading scientific expertise and knowledge.

We further note our thanks to Professor Ted Lock whose outstanding, scientifically rigorous and insightful contributions to the committee have been crucial over his many years of membership. He will be leaving the committee having completed eleven years of membership; we wish him every success in his future endeavours.  

Sadly, this year we saw the loss of a dear colleague, Professor Rod Blackshaw. Rod was a passionate, immensely intelligent and dedicated scientist whose work on the committee was key in addressing some of the most important issues facing us. However, more than that, he was a friend to many of us and he will be sorely missed. We offer our deepest condolences to his friends, his wife Ursula and family.

This will be my final year as Chair of the committee. Throughout my tenure on the committee, I have been consistently impressed by the quality of discussion around the table, and the sheer depth and breadth of expertise demonstrated by members, past and present. I am happy to confirm I will be succeeded in the role of Chair by the eminently capable James Clarke, with whom I have worked closely with as Deputy Chair in the last two years. We all wish James every success as he leads the ECP forward in 2024 and beyond. I further note that the work of the committee is only possible due to the contributions of a wide range of individuals and organisations. We owe our thanks to the officials, advisors and assessors who engage with, and support, the committee in addressing the issues we consider. They have been pivotal in ensuring the committee has access to a wide range of opinion and that all arguments and views are fully tested to ensure we provide robust and sound advice.

We are sure you will find this report an interesting and informative summary of the committee and its work. As this report highlights, the membership evolves as terms end, or circumstances change. We would also be pleased to hear from interested candidates so your expertise can be considered when the need arises for new members. If you have any questions about this report or our activities, please contact our Secretariat at [email protected].

Professor W Cushley, Chair, UK Expert Committee on Pesticides

Role of the committee

The ECP is an expert committee providing independent scientific advice to ministers in the UK and devolved governments on the authorisation of PPPs in the UK and on other matters related to the control of pests more broadly. Our terms of reference are set out in Annex 1.

A list of our members can be found at Annex 2. Our committee contains a comprehensive range of expertise. Some of us are academics working in specialist areas of study relevant to assessing the risks and benefits of pest, weed and disease control, while others are members appointed for their practical experience of pesticide use and regulation in the farming and amenity sectors. We also include members appointed to represent lay interests and consider issues from the public perspective.

Members are appointed following an open public recruitment. We are appointed as independent individuals, not representing any particular interest or sector. In line with the Nolan principles on public life we have declared any aspects of our work that may be perceived to present a potential conflict of interest. Members also work in accordance with the committee’s code of practice. We declare and describe any potential conflict of interest, both as a general annual declaration and in response to the specific agenda of each meeting.

We seek to operate objectively and transparently, publishing the agendas of our meetings and a detailed record of our discussions. We aim to place information in the public domain by default. However, this is constrained by the need to protect commercially sensitive information. Therefore, in some cases, we are unable to publish all material.

Our work in 2023

Day-to-day regulation of PPPs is carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on behalf of the four governments. Anyone wishing to market pesticides must obtain an authorisation to do so. Authorisations are granted by HSE provided a robust evaluation of data demonstrates that use of the product will not harm human health or have unacceptable effects on the environment. Legal restrictions may be placed on the way products must be used (for example, the amount applied, timing of application, need for operators to wear protective clothing, avoiding applications close to environmental features, etc) to ensure safety and environmental protection.

The committee met formally on five occasions and held numerous further interactions with specialist staff in HSE. ECP business involves consideration of a small proportion of HSE work, generally the more novel and contentious cases. To supplement this, we undertake an annual exercise to quality assure the ‘routine’ HSE casework through a structured audit of finalised cases. To facilitate this, HSE will present us with a full list of finalised cases and the committee will select a small sample of these cases at random for scrutiny. We review these cases in depth and may request further information or clarification from HSE as required. The committee’s most recent exercise covers 2022 to 2023 cases and saw us finalise the outstanding exercise from the 2021 to 2022 year. The committee does this to help ensure that HSE considers all applications in a robust and appropriate manner, with decisions being made on a sound evidential basis. We have been impressed with the thoroughness of the work presented by HSE in the dossiers and the strong integration between assessment teams within HSE. We further provided advice to HSE on possible refinements to ensure the valuable time and expertise of their specialists are used in the most effective manner.

The committee provides advice to the four governments of the UK, based on the scientific evidence and data presented to it. We are asked to address specific questions of science and provide independent scientific advice that will support the effective and safe regulation of PPPs. For both new active substances and emergency authorisation applications, the committee recognises that the four governments also obtain advice from other expert and independent advisory bodies in reaching their final conclusions on a regulatory decision. The committee has worked closely with DAERA (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) and the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure we are in a position to support the specific needs of the Northern Irish regulatory regime. As part of this work, DAERA provides regular briefings to the committee on the developments and issues relating to the Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol and the Windsor Framework.

The committee’s input into the decision-making process continues to place a significant focus on using our expertise to understand the nature and degree of risk associated with proposed uses, the mitigation of those risks, the state of wider scientific literature and market conditions. This does not constrain us from developing a wider scientific view on these applications including from evidence beyond standardised regulatory testing.

This year we have advised on two applications for the approval, or changes to the conditions of approval, of active substances. These cases were fluoxapiprolin and pydiflumetofen, both of which are active substances not currently approved for use in the UK and intended for use as fungicides. These cases are often difficult and complex, requiring a significant amount of ECP time. In all such cases the committee holds detailed meetings with HSE specialists on each area of science. HSE will seek specific advice on outstanding questions of science, but we can explore any aspects of the risk assessment and underlying guidance they consider to be of importance. We expect the number of active substances we advise on to increase in the coming years.

The committee also considered three applications for emergency authorisations under Article 53 of Regulation No 1107/2009.

Our advice related to:

1. The use of ‘Tutavir’ (a suspension concentrate containing 2 x 1013 occlusion bodies of Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus per litre) to control Tomato leaf miner in enclosed spaces. This represented one of our first cases brought before the committee involving biopesticides. The committee considered that the emergency authorisation, if authorised, could provide an opportunity to collect practical efficacy and resistance monitoring data.

2. The use of ‘Asulox’ (containing 400g/l asulam) to control bracken. We were invited to advise on the issue by Scottish ministers, with Welsh minsters expressing an interest in the advice. The committee considered that in the absence of any new data, our 2022 advice remained unchanged.

3. The use of ‘Cruiser’ (containing 600g/l thiamethoxam) to treat against Beet virus yellow. The committee agreed it supports the HSE assessment and that it is unable to support an emergency authorisation as the potential adverse effects to honeybees and other pollinators outweigh the likely benefits.

Other aspects of our work included considering or advising (or both) on activities related to:

The use of kinetically-derived maximum doses (KMD)

The committee provided advice to HSE on how best to approach the use of new methods in regulatory risk assessments. The use of kinetically-derived maximum doses is a developing area of science, where there isn’t a clear consensus or established OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidance. While the committee was supportive of regulators considering the use of new techniques that could reduce the need for animal testing, we noted significant concerns with the KMD approach in its current form. The committee was unable to support its use in the UK’s hazard-based regulatory regime, due to these safety concerns. We felt this was an area where we could work with other committees to discuss the wider issue of how best to incorporate new scientific developments into the regulatory system.

Non-dietary human exposure guidance

We were consulted on the possible adoption by the GB regulatory regime of the 2022 Guidance on non-dietary human exposure published by the European Food Safety Authority. We noted our support for further outreach and monitoring to understand how operators are implementing safety restrictions and provided specific feedback on elements of the guidance.

Drones being used for pesticide application

The committee was updated, and provided feedback, on ongoing regulatory work to better facilitate the use of drones to spray pesticides. The use of drones is an innovative area of technology, that has the potential to allow for more focused application that minimises spray drift and the impact of pesticides on non-target organisms. HSE is working with a wide range of international bodies to develop a robust suite of data and tools on which regulatory risk assessments can be based. The committee is interested in further exploring the opportunity for cross-committee working to develop the independent scientific expertise available to support this policy area.

Engagement with biopesticides

HSE have seen an increasing number of applications concerning the use of biopesticides, with the committee seeing the first of these cases this year. As part our work to remain on the cutting edge of regulatory science the committee has appointed five new members with specific expertise around biopesticides. Over the coming years we expect to work increasingly closely with HSE and the four governments to advise on the effective regulation of biopesticides.

Annex 1: terms of reference

Purpose of the committee

1. The UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (the committee is established to provide independent scientific advice on matters relating to the effective control of pests[1], including advice on approval and authorisation of pesticides[2]. In this work, the committee will take account of the general purposes of Part III of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA) as set out in Section 16(1) of the Act.

These are:

(a) the continuous development of means:

(i) to protect the health of people, creatures and plants;

(ii) to safeguard the environment; and

(iii) to secure safe, efficient and humane methods of controlling pests;

(b) making information about pesticides available to the public.

2. The committee shall provide advice and views to the ministers listed below on any matter within its remit, either in response to a request or at the committee’s initiative. The committee will normally provide its advice to the Assessors (provided for in paragraph 14 below) but may provide advice directly to all or any of the following ministers (referred to collectively in this document as ‘the ministers’): the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Scottish ministers, Welsh ministers and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland.

3. The committee will be consulted on regulations relating to the general purposes of Part III of FEPA and falling within its remit which any or all of the ministers contemplate making.

Role of the committee

4. The lead Defra minister will set the terms of reference for the committee with the consent of the ministers. Any proposal to vary these terms of reference or abolish the committee would also be subject to agreement by all the ministers. In all these cases the committee itself will be consulted; the ministers will ultimately set the terms of reference of the committee, while the committee will determine its ways of working, adhering to the requirements in these terms of reference and code of practice.

5. The ministers may receive: strategic work plans for particular areas of on-going work; reports and advice; and periodic reviews of the committee’s functions, public benefits and value for money.

6. The committee will, as appropriate, and within its remit:

• contribute to developing the evidence base, analysing and interpreting evidence and providing judgements on quality and relevance
• support policy development and evaluation, including by undertaking risk assessment and assessing new regulations and proposals for deregulation
• advise on the scope for specific projects and research
• contribute to best practice advice and formal guidance
• provide independent scientific advice on applications for the approval of new active substances and active substance renewals
• provide independent scientific advice on setting maximum residue levels (MRLs), as part of, or separate to advice provided on applications for approval of active substances
• provide suggestions on optimising the committee’s role as part of the process for the approval of active substances, the setting of MRLs and the authorisation of products
• produce an annual report of all work undertaken and contribute, if required, to Defra’s chief scientist’s annual report
• provide advice on any other issue as requested by HSE, Defra or the devolved governments relating to the use of pesticides, and prioritising these requests against existing work schedules
• help the response to emergency situations by providing expert advice and opinion

7. The committee will provide independent advice and operate in line with the principles of scientific advice to government and the code of practice for scientific advisory committees.

8. The committee will make its scientific advice and views available to the public and other interested parties in a way which aims to be comprehensive, clear and timely. The committee will decide its own publication schedule.

9. Defra’s chief scientific adviser (CSA) will maintain an oversight of the work of the committee and will meet regularly with its Chair.

Appointments and conduct of members

10. The Chair and the members of the committee are independent appointments made through open competition, in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Appointments are made by the senior responsible owner within Defra in agreement with:

• Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
• Department of Health and Social Care
• Food Standards Agency (FSA)
• Department of Agriculture
• Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Government

These bodies will also agree the plans for each recruitment exercise.

11. Members are expected to act in accordance with the seven ‘Nolan’ principles of public life.

Working groups and additional expertise

12. Subject to the availability of funds, the committee may:

• establish groups to support aspects of its work
• bring in additional expertise (from the UK or abroad) to advise on specific issues

Advisers

13. Advisers are officials, from any of the administrations, with specialist expertise who can advise the committee. At the time of preparation of these terms of reference, advisers are drawn from Defra, the Environment Agency, the FSA, HSE, Public Health England and Natural England (and equivalent devolved government bodies). Any future additions to this list will be arranged by agreement between the committee and the relevant department or body. Advisers shall receive the meeting documents at the same time as committee members and have the right to attend committee meetings. They will contribute to discussions when invited to do so.

Assessors

14. Each of the following appoints one of their officials as an assessor:

• Defra
• Department of Work and Pensions
• Department of Health and Social Care
• FSA
• Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Government

Assessors receive and respond to the advice and views supplied by the committee to their ministers. Where appropriate they are responsible for seeking the views of their minister on the advice from the committee. Assessors shall receive the meeting documents at the same time as committee members and have the right to attend ECP meetings. They will contribute to discussions when invited to do so.

Annex 2: members

(As of 31 December 2023) and declarations of interest

The ECP is a successor body to the Advisory Council on Pesticides (ACP). The ACP was abolished in March 2015. All existing appointments to the ACP were continued without interruption to the ECP.

Chair

Professor William Cushley

Professor William Cushley is Professor of Molecular Immunology and Assistant Vice-Principal (International) at the University of Glasgow, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Glasgow-Caribbean Centre for Development Research. His research interests are in B cell development in health and disease. He has served as chair of the board of trustee directors of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge and is the current Chair of Health and Life Science review panels for the European Science Foundation. Bill was appointed to the ACP in 2014, his term of appointment ended on the 31 December 2023.

No interests declared.

Deputy chairs

Mr James Clarke

Mr James Clarke is Research Director at ADAS. He specialises in sustainable crop production (including soil health and management, IPM (Integrated Pest Management), crop nutrition and performance) and the impacts of arable farming on the environment. James is an Associate of Royal Agricultural Societies (ARAgS). As Chair of the Pesticides Forum, he led the Indicators sub-group delivering annual reports on the usage, environmental and human impacts of sustainable pesticide use. He was a member of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP). He is Chair of UK Weed Resistance Action Group steering committee. James was appointed to the ECP in 2021 and elected as deputy Chair in 2022. James took up the role of Chair on 1 January 2024.

Non-personal interests

As ADAS Research Director, James is not directly involved in managing a business unit and no longer has any regular direct involvement with industry-funded work that may impact on his role within the ECP.

ADAS carries out work for crop protection companies, Defra and other government and levy bodies (for example, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)) in respect to crop protection.

ADAS is officially recognised as an efficacy testing organisation in the UK, and carries out work to this effect.

Professor Michael Eddleston

Professor Michael Eddleston is a clinical toxicologist working for the University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and UK’s National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). His research interests are in the human consequences and treatment of acute exposures to pesticides, both in the UK and globally, particularly in South Asia. He medically treats patients with poisoning, including those affected by exposure to pesticides. He sits as a WHO (World Health Organisation) Expert on the FAO-WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management (JMPM). Michael was appointed to the ECP in 2021, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2024.

Personal interests

Employed as a Consultant Physician at the National Poisons Information Service – Edinburgh Unit and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Members

Professor James Coulson

Professor James Coulson is a Professor in Clinical Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology at Cardiff University and an honorary consultant physician at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Professor Coulson is the Clinical Director of the All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre and Chair of the New Medicines Group, an independent scientific advisory committee to the All Wales Medicines Strategy group.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, and is a Fellow of the British Pharmacology Society and the Royal Society of Biology. He provides expertise in clinical pharmacology and toxicology at an international level in collaboration with WHO and the European Community (EC).

Since 2014, highlights include:

• supporting the EC response to the challenges of novel psychoactive substances
• writing the clinical chapters of the WHO field manual on the Investigation of Chemical Outbreaks
• providing clinical leadership of a field investigation to a suspected mass poisoning in Uganda, 2019
• supporting WHO training missions to Ghana (2017) and Mongolia (2018)
• contributing to the WHO Poisons Centre Manual

Professor Coulson serves as a member of the UK Committee on Toxicity. He advises on ad hoc toxicological issues to the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency. Professor Coulson acted as an editor and contributor to enable the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee publication on toxicology for paramedics and ambulance staff. He also provided toxicological expertise to the BBC World Service and, since 2018, advised on the BBC’s Casualty and Holby City drama series. James was appointed to the ECP in 2023. His current term of appointment is until 31 December 2026.

No interests declared.

Dr James Garratt

Dr James Garratt is a Principal Consultant at Enviresearch, part of the RSK group. He is a scientist with a special interest and passion for the assessment of the risks of chemicals to the environment. He has been working with environmental models since 1996. His work has included many assessments of chemical fate for commercial clients, in particular where advanced (or higher-tier) assessments are required. He has also contributed to the advancement of science through his work on risk assessment in greenhouses; the MERLIN-Expo modelling tool; and sensitivity analysis in drainflow modelling. He is a member of the Institute of Professional Soil Scientists (IPSS) and the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). He is a Chartered Scientist and a regular reviewer of academic papers for research journals. James was appointed to the ECP in 2019. His current term of appointment is until 31 December 2025.

Personal interests

Employed by Enviresearch as a consultant on pesticide risk assessments. Enviresearch provides scientific consulting services to a range of chemical companies in support of product approvals including for pesticides.

Formerly Managing Director of, and shareholder in, Enviresearch.

Member of the Agrisciences Committee, which organises events that may be sponsored by companies in the pesticide (or other chemicals) industry.

Shareholder in RSK.

Mr Martin Glynn

Mr Martin Glynn is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and a Chartered Environmentalist. He is a graduate of the University College of North Wales (Bangor) and the Open University. As a self-employed consultant, he works with clients in the public, private and third sectors providing advice and support regarding business, market and workforce development in the forestry industry. Martin is a member of the England Forest and Wood-based Industry Leadership Group, he is a Trustee of the Forest Industries Education Fund and was formerly a Non-Executive Director of the National Forest Company. Martin was appointed to the ECP in 2019, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2025.

No interests declared.

Dr Caroline Harris

Dr Caroline Harris is a principal scientist at Exponent International. She previously worked as an analytical chemist for MAFF and as a regulator (latterly Head of Human Health) at the Chemicals Regulations Directorate. She continues to be involved with MRLs, import tolerances and pesticide residues in international trade. She also remains highly active in the field of consumer risk assessment. Caroline is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and was also a member of the UK’s Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). Formerly a member of the ACP, she was appointed to the ECP in 2020 and her current term of appointment is until 31 December 2026.

Current personal interests

Employer is a scientific consultancy which undertakes work for a range of chemical companies in support of product approvals.

Shareholder of Exponent Inc.

Dr Ioanna Katsiadaki

Dr Ioanna Katsiadaki is a Principal Scientific Officer and the Science Leader for The Cefas Weymouth Laboratory. She is also an honorary associated professor at the University of Exeter. Dr Katsiadaki has been conducting active research and providing advice related to the effects of contaminants on aquatic organisms to government departments as well as international organisations like OECD, ECHA and SETAC for over 25 years. She is a UK representative in the Fish Expert Group that advises the OECD Validation Management Group in Ecotoxicology (VMG-Eco) and one of the four core theme leaders of the UK-Japan cooperation on endocrine disrupting chemicals. As a direct result of her work, an OECD test guideline (TG234; the Fish Sexual Development Test) and an OECD Guidance document (the Androgenised Female Stickleback Screen, AFSS, No. 148) became part of an international test guideline programme for the detection of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) in 2011.

Dr Katsiadaki is an advocate of ‘one health’ and has a passion for protecting aquatic life, especially marine from hazardous chemicals and her recent research is focusing on the development of alternative methods She was appointed to the ECP in 2022, her current term of appointment is until 31 December 2025.  

No interests declared.

Professor Edward Lock

Professor Edward Lock is Emeritus Professor of Industrial Toxicology at Liverpool John Moores University. His research interests are in understanding the biochemical mechanisms whereby foreign chemicals produced selective toxicity to certain target organs. Organs of interest have included: kidney, brain, liver, lung and olfactory epithelium. Current research is focused on treating a hereditary disorder of tyrosine catabolism called Acaptonuria, a bone disorder, which is responding well to Nitisinone, a herbicide that is now accepted as a drug for treatment for this disorder. Ted is an honorary Fellow of the British Toxicology Society, Fellow Royal College of Pathologists and a Fellow of Academy of Toxicological Scientists. Ted was appointed to the ACP in 2012, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2022.

No interests declared

Dr Ruth Mann

Dr Ruth Mann is Head of Integrated Crop Technologies at Agrii. Her broad research background is integrated disease management in agricultural and horticultural crops, sports surfaces and amenity areas. Ruth is also interested in how enabling technologies can progress crop production, especially within decision support systems and precision management. Ruth is also an approved trainer for BASIS Amenity Horticulture. Ruth was appointed to the ECP in 2017, her current term of appointment expires in 31 December 2024.

Non-personal interests

Agrii completes multiple trials for the pesticide industry and is officially recognised as an efficacy testing organisation in the UK. Ruth is responsible for the teams completing this work. Agrii also provide consultancy services and products, including advice on pesticides and distribution of pesticides to the agricultural and horticultural industries.

Formerly employed at STRI which completes multiple trials for the pesticide industry internationally and is officially recognised as an efficacy testing organisation in the UK. She is responsible for the teams completing this work. STRI also provides consultancy services, including advice on pesticides to the sports turf industry.

Dr Martin Rose

Dr Martin Rose has worked for over 30 years as a government scientist with Fera (previously CSL, Defra, MAFF) with a focus on the application of analytical chemistry to studies on dietary exposure, toxicology, environmental pathways, environmental monitoring, food authenticity, ecotoxicology, risk assessment and contingency responses for environmental contaminants in food. He is a former head of UK National Reference Laboratory for chemical contaminants in food. Martin is a former member of the EFSA CONTAM and ANS Panels and is currently a member of several EFSA working groups.

He is a member of the UK Government Scientific Advisory Committee Expert Group on Additives, Enzymes and other Regulated Products (part of Committee on Toxicity), a member of the Fapas® advisory committee and a member of the all-Ireland Safefood advisory committee. Since 2017, Martin has been working as an independent science consultant for organisations including Fera Science Ltd, the Universities of Manchester and Liverpool, United Nations (FAO and ITC) on publicly funded research projects, risk assessment activities, research project monitoring and evaluation, and supporting activities to implement food control systems in less developed countries.

Martin has published widely, is an editorial board member for several journals and has supported the organisation of several international science conferences. Martin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry where he is a Member of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy Division (ESED) Council and a committee member of the Food and Toxicology Interest Groups. Martin was appointed to the ECP in 2020, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2026.

No interests declared.

Dr Anna Rowbotham

Dr Anna Rowbotham is a senior managing scientist with Exponent with nearly 30 years of experience in toxicology and human health risk assessment. Anna has worked a number of senior roles across the regulatory sector with experience in the plant protection products, biocides and REACH regulatory regimes. Her previous research includes work on population and probabilistic physiologically based pharmacokinetic models and on neurotoxicology. She is a member of the British Toxicology Society. Anna was appointed to the ECP in 2023, her current term of appointment is until 31 December 2026.

Personal interests

Employer is a scientific consultancy which undertakes work for a range of chemical companies in support of product approvals.

Mr Patrick Stephenson

Mr Patrick Stephenson heads up an agronomy partnership acting as a senior consultant to 100 farm clients covering 18,000 ha. He also serves as a Regional Agronomist with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany assisting with farm research and knowledge transfer. He has served as Chairman of the Association of independent Crop Consultants, an organisation with over 270 members operating throughout the United Kingdom. He sits on the ADHB Cereals and Oil Seed Council and is Chair of the Recommended Wheat List. Patrick was appointed to the ECP in 2021. His current term of appointment is until 31 December 2024.

No interests declared.

Professor David Spurgeon

Professor David Spurgeon is an experienced ecotoxicological researcher who has worked on assessing the effects of anthropogenic stressors and pollution on soil communities for over 25 years. Following a PhD studentship and post-doc at Reading University (1991-1997) and NERC Advanced Fellowship at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (1998-2003), he has worked at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (Monks Wood/Wallingford) on research projects to understand the responses of soil communities to pollutants. He has published more than 170 ISI researcher papers on topics in this area. He is a visiting professor at Reading University. He was appointed to ECP for 2020, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2025.

Personal interests

CEH is involved in work with BASF material scientists in CEFIC LRI project Eco-59.

Professor Matthew Wright

Professor Matthew Wright is Professor of Toxicology at Newcastle University. His research interests and expertise are around xenobiotic metabolism, liver injury and liver responses to chronic injury. He has a long running interest in the development of in vitro systems for the study of toxicity mechanisms and allied NAMs. He is a member of the EFSA FAF panel and also a member of the UK Committee on Toxicity (COT). Matthew was appointed to the ECP in 2021, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2024.

Personal interests

Involved in a contract study of in vitro metabolism of three Lubrizol products from April 2019 to May 2020.

Professor Mick Whelan

Professor Mick Whelan is an environmental scientist at the University of Leicester specialising in the fate of organic chemicals, such as pesticides and pharmaceutical ingredients, and the transfer of nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural land to surface waters. He has a PhD in applied hydrology from Leeds and did post-doctoral research in Exeter and Milan. Before joining the University of Leicester, he held academic posts at Stirling and Cranfield Universities, complemented by five years working in environmental modelling for Unilever. He has recently worked on and led a number of NERC, Defra, Environment Agency and industry-funded projects to better understand pollutant fate and transport. Mick was appointed to the ECP in 2018, his current term of appointment is until 31 December 2025.

No interests declared.

Biopesticide Cloud Members

Professor Tariq Butt

Professor Tariq Butt is a professor at Swansea University and leads the Biocontrol and Natural Products (BANP) group at Swansea University.  The group focuses on developing environmentally friendly products and strategies for the management of invertebrate pests of socio-economic importance.

Tariq has a special interest in microbial biopesticides, especially entomopathogenic fungi (EPF). He has over 40 years’ experience working with EPF. He undertakes both fundamental and applied research, covering virtually all aspects of EPF biology and ecology. 

He has worked with industry in the development of EPF for the control of crop pests and with regulatory authorities on matters related to the risk assessment of EPF. Besides EPF, Tariq is interested in insect behaviour modifying chemicals and has developed insect attractants and repellents for both monitoring purposes but also for use in integrated pest management programmes. Tariq was appointed to the ECP in 2023, his current term of appointment is until December 2026.

Personal interests

The Biocontrol and Natural Products group of Swansea University has been involved with research projects sponsored by government departments, including but not limited to Defra, the Scottish Government and Welsh Government.

Dr Irene Cano Cejas

Dr Irene Cano Cejas is an expert Immunologist and Virologist working at the Cefas Weymouth laboratory on aquatic animal health and food security. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Irene joined the antiviral task force at UKHSA for compound testing against VoC of SARS-CoV-2 collaborating with NHS and international pharmaceuticals. Her interests are understanding host-pathogen interaction, characterising emerging diseases, point-of-care diagnostics, vaccine efficiency in aquaculture, and testing novel treatments to control disease outbreaks, including biohazard level 3 (BSL-3) pathogens. Recently, Irene has joined a large EU consortium to understand chemical immunotoxicology in aquatic organisms to develop next-generation risk assessment to protect health and the environment. Her research has played an essential role in influencing surveillance strategies in the UK for aquatic pathogens, setting the standards for data assurance of sequencing animal viruses, developing novel diagnostic tools for aquaculture pathogens, understanding the molecular basis of rhabdovirus virulence in salmonids, and analysing fish macrophage polarisation in response to pathogen and chemicals. Irene was appointed to the ECP in 2023, her current term of appointment is until December 2026.

No interests declared.

Dr Dave Chandler

Dr Dave Chandler is an Associate Professor (Reader) at the School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick. He is based at the Warwick Crop Centre, Wellesbourne. He is an entomologist and insect pathologist.

He conducts research on:

(i) the biology, development and use of insect pathogens as plant protection agents (ii) Integrated Pest Management in horticultural crops (iii) biological pollination by social and solitary bees (iv) the use of system engineering technologies to improve crop production and crop protection.

He has been at Wellesbourne for over 30 years and prior to that did his PhD in mycology at Kings College London. He has been an adviser to the European Parliament on the sustainable use of pesticides and has acted as a research programme reviewer for the US Department of Agriculture.

Personal interests

The Warwick Crop Centre (University of Warwick) is a registered trial site which undertakes commercial and levy-funded projects. David has been involved in specific work in this context that has involved payment to the university.

Dr Roma Gwynn

Dr Roma Gwynn is an independent specialist with nearly 40 years of experience in crop protection. She has significant experience of working with industry and regulators globally to facilitate the development and registration of new and novel biotechnologies. She was Vice-President of the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA) from 2018 to 2023, and an editor of the BCPC Manual of Biocontrol agents (2014).

Roma has been involved with research projects with the OECD Expert Group on Biopesticides, the EU Commission, FAO-WHO and some national regulators in Africa.  Alongside her work with the ECP she is an invited expert for the NIBIO Norway SMARTCROP Project, Danish Plant Biologicals Network and undertakes work for the UK grower funded SCEPTRE project evaluating biocontrol technologies for use in IPM for horticulture growers. Roma was appointed to the ECP in 2023, her current term of appointment is until December 2026.

Personal interests

Biorationale provide consulting services and expert services to streamline the discovery, product development, registration and marketing of biotechnical products in Australasia, Europe, North America and Africa.

Roma has provided advice and technical support to regulators, including the WHO/FAO, EU member states, the USA and other national regulators.

Dr Maureen Wakefield

Dr Maureen Wakefield is the lead scientist for applied entomology at Fera Science Ltd, with over 35 years of experience in the field. Her interests include chemical ecology, the use of biological control agents such a parasitoids, predators and entomopathogenic fungi. Maureen is a member of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, editor of the Journal of Stored Product Research, a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a Chartered Biologist. Maureen was appointed to the ECP in 2023, her current term of appointment is until December 2026.

Personal Interests

Maureen is employed by Fera Science Ltd, who provide scientific testing and regulatory consultancy work for a range of clients including government departments and industry bodies.

Annex 3: fees and reimbursement

Members of the ECP are not salaried staff but do receive a fee for attendance at meetings. They are not paid if they do not attend meetings, although they receive a preparation fee if they comment in writing.

Chair’s fees

Attendance fee: £400

Preparation fee: £150

Deputy Chair and members’ fees

Attendance fee: £300

Preparation fee: £150

The Chair and members also receive reimbursement of reasonable actual travel and subsistence when attending meetings.

For the 2023 to 2024 finical year the estimated cost of running the committee is £53,000. This covers the cost of member’s fee related to committee work, legitimate expenses and recruitment campaigns. This is in line with the costs of previous years and represents a decrease from the ten-year average as the committee continues to see lower operating costs from adopting virtual working arrangements when appropriate.

The ECP is assisted in the committee by the following officials:

Departmental assessors (as of 31 December 2023)

Departmental assessors are officials who receive and respond to the advice/ recommendations supplied by the committee to ministers on behalf of their department. Where appropriate they are responsible for seeking the views of their minister on the advice from the ECP.

They consist of:

• Mr David Williams (Defra)

• Ms Ann Faulkner (HSE)

• Ms Gillian Reay (Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA), representing the Scottish Government)

• Ms Clare McCartney-Collard (FSA)

• Mr Bill MacDonald (Welsh Government)

• Dr Stephen Jess (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute Northern Ireland (AFBINI), representing Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs)

Departmental advisors (as of 31 December 2023)

Departmental advisors are officials with specialist expertise who can advise the ECP.

They consist of:

• Mr Richard Daniels (HSE)
• Mr Matt Penrose (HSE)
• Ms Helen Nakeeb (UK Health Security Agency - UKHSA)
• Dr Suzanne Qassim Natural England
• Dr Jonathan Newman Environment Agency
• Ms Rebecca Leete (Defra)
• Ms Sarah Hugo (Defra)
• Mr Adrian Dixon (HSE)
• Mr Barry Maycock (FSA)
• Ms Margaret Wade (HSE)
• Dr Chris Snaith (HSE)
• Mr Darren Flynn (HSE)
• Dr Susy Brescia (HSE)
• Dr James Hingston (HSE)
• Mr Jon Winfield (HSE)
• Ms Catherine Wesley (HSE)
• Ms Sue Mattock (HSE)

The ECP Secretariat is provided by HSE and as of 31 December 2023 consists of:

• Secretary – Rachel Merrick
• Secretariat Member – Ethan Clabby
• Secretariat Member – Lesley Debenham

ECP Secretariat

Ground Floor

Mallard House

Kings Pool

York YO1 7PX

Email: [email protected]

Annex 4: sub-groups

The ECP was assisted in its work by a number of sub-groups including the:

• Environmental Panel
• Medical and Toxicological Panel
• Working Party on Pesticide Usage Surveys

These sub-groups have not met for a number of years but do consider papers by correspondence.

The Working Party on Pesticide Usage Surveys oversees delivery of the Pesticide Usage Survey Programme. Members are responsible for collecting and analysing pesticide usage data and preparing and publishing reports detailing findings on a range of crops and situations. The Working Party is chaired by HSE and has representatives from Fera Science Ltd, SASA, AFBINI, ADAS, CropLife UK and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. The Technical Secretary is provided by HSE.

[1] ‘pest’ means: any organism harmful to plants or to wood or other plant products, any undesired plant, and any harmful organism. This definition is not intended to place a strict limit on the committee’s remit.

[2] ‘pesticide’ means any substance, preparation or organism prepared or used for destroying or controlling any pest. It includes everything within the scope of the current and retained Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. This definition is not intended to place a strict limit on the committee’s remit.