Browse by: "2007"

The residues in Livestock studies are conducted in order to quantify levels of residues in meat, milk, eggs and edible meat by-products following the use of a pesticide product. The situations to which such studies apply include application of a pesticide to raw agricultural commodities (RACs), and the feeding by livestock; pesticides that may be directly applied to livestock; and pesticides that are used in livestock premises.

The primary purposes of the Residues in Livestock study are to provide: the basis for establishing maximum residue limits (MRLs) and for conducting dietary intake assessments for consumer safety. Separate feeding studies should be conducted for a ruminant (lactating dairy cows) and poultry (egg-laying hens). The test substance(s) should be applied daily (during at least 28 days) preferably by capsule. A Residues in Livestock study will normally comprise 3 different dose levels, 1X, 3X and 10X. Three animals per dose group (and one for the control) should be used for ruminants. For hens 9-10 animals per dose group (and 3 to 4 animal for control per study) should be used. The study report should include: daily feed consumption, bodyweights measurement, milk or egg production and analyse (after and before dosing), detailed observations (health problems…) and tissues analyse.

This Test Guideline describes a method to determine the amount of pesticide residues which may be accumulated into rotational crops via soil uptake following realistic agricultural practices. These data may be used to establish crop rotation restrictions, for dietary risk assessment and to determine whether maximum residue limits will be needed in rotational crops.

Three representative crops should be tested to determine the uptake of residues: these are root and tuber vegetables; leafy vegetables; and small grains. The test uses three rotational intervals. The rotated crops should be planted after the minimum rotational interval that could be expected as part of agricultural practice: 7-30 days, and 270-365 days for crops rotated the following year. The limited field trials should be conducted at two diverse geographical regions. The pesticide should be applied to primary crop or bare soil by the method specified on the pesticide label or proposed label at the maximum label rate and the maximum number of applications. Residues should be analyzed within 30 days of harvesting (and should be stored frozen prior to analysis).

Metabolism in Livestock studies are used to determine the qualitative and quantitative metabolism and/or degradation of the active ingredient resulting from pesticide use in feedstuffs, direct application to livestock, or premise treatment.

The studies provide an estimate of total residues in the edible livestock commodities, as well as the excreta; identify the major components of the terminal residue in the edible tissues; elucidate a metabolic pathway for the pesticide in ruminants and poultry; provide evidence whether or not a residue should be classified as fat soluble. The studies should be conducted using radiolabelled test compound. A stable position of labelling is chosen and the preferred radioisotope is 14C, although 32P, 35S can be used. A ruminant (lactating goats) study can be carried out on a single animal per experiments. For poultry (laying hens), the use of ten birds per experiments (or dose) is recommended. The minimum dosage used in livestock oral metabolism studies should approximate the level of exposure expected from the feeding of treated crops with the highest observed residues. Treatment should be administered orally (via a balling gun, capsule or gavage) or by dermal application. The study includes: the excreta, milk and eggs collect (twice daily), and tissues collect (muscle, liver…).

Metabolism in rotational crops studies are conducted to determine the nature and amount of pesticide residue uptake in rotational crops that are used as human food or as livestock feed.

The provide an estimate of total radioactive residues in the various raw agricultural commodities (RACs); identify the major components of the terminal residue in the various RACs; elucidate the degradation pathway of the active ingredient in rotated crops; provide data to determine appropriate rotational intervals and/or rotational crop restrictions based on residue uptake levels; provide information for determining if limited field trials for rotational crops should be performed. The active ingredient should be labelled, to allow for quantification; the preferred radioisotope is 14C, although 32P, 35S can be used. The study should be performed using a sandy loam soil treated with the radiolabelled test substance. The study may be performed either in a greenhouse or in an outdoor plot or container or a combination of the two. Three appropriate rotational intervals should be used (7-30 days for rotated crops, 60-270 days to reflect a typical rotation after harvest of the primary crop and 270-365 days for crops rotated the following year). Three Rotational crops should be used and be representative of each of the following crop groupings: root and tuber vegetable; small grain; and leafy vegetable.

Studies of Metabolism in Crops are used to elucidate the degradation pathway of the active ingredient and require the identification of the metabolism and/or degradation products when a pesticide is applied to a crop directly or indirectly.

A Metabolism in Crops study should be submitted for each type of crop group. Five categories for crop metabolism studies can be considered: root vegetables, leafy crops, fruits, pulses and oilseeds, and cereals. The active ingredient should be administered such as foliar, soil/seed, or post-harvest treatments to reflect its intended use pattern. It should be labelled, to allow for quantification; the preferred radioisotope is 14C, although 32P, 35S can be used. The study should be performed using a sandy loam soil treated with the radiolabelled test substance. It may be performed either in a greenhouse or in an outdoor test plot or plant growth chambers. The maximum application rate (the proposed Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) application rate) should be utilized. Samples of all raw agricultural commodities are collected for characterization and/or identification of residues and determination of the total radioactive residue.

The Uterotrophic Bioassay is an in vivo short-term screening test. It is based on the increase in uterine weight or uterotrophic response.

The Uterotrophic Bioassay relies for its sensitivity on an animal test system in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis is not functional. Two oestrogen sensitive states in the female rodent meet this requirement: i) immature females after weaning and prior to puberty and ii) young adult females after ovariectomy with adequate time for uterine tissues to regress. The test substance is administered daily by oral gavage or subcutaneous injection. Each treated and control group should include at least 6 animals. Graduated test substance doses are administered to a minimum of two treatment groups of experimental animals using one dose level per group and an administration period of three consecutive days for immature method and a minimum administration period of three consecutive days for ovx-adult method. The animals are necropsied approximately 24 hours after the last dose. For oestrogen agonists, the mean uterine weight of the treated animal groups relative to the vehicle group is assessed for a statistically significant increase. A statistically significant increase in the mean uterine weight of a test group indicates a positive response in this bioassay. The report should include: the daily body weights, the daily record of status of animal, the wet and blotted uterine weight, the daily food consumption.

A developmental neurotoxicity study will provide information on the effects of repeated exposure to a substance during in utero and early postnatal development.

The test substance is administered daily, generally orally, to mated females (rats are preferred) from the time of implantation (GD 6) throughout lactation (PND 21). At least three dose levels and a concurrent control should be used and a total of 20 litters are recommended at each dose level. Dams are tested to assess effects in pregnant and lactating females and may also provide comparative information. Offspring are randomly selected from within litters for neurotoxicity evaluation. All dams and all offspring should be carefully observed at least once daily with respect to their health condition, including morbidity and mortality. The evaluation consists of observations to detect gross neurologic and behavioural abnormalities, and the evaluation of brain weights and neuropathology during postnatal development and adulthood. The report should include the body weight, the food/water consumption; the detailed clinical observations, the necropsy findings, a detailed description of all behavioural, the number of animals at the start and at the end of the study and the toxic response data by sex and dose level.

This Test Guideline is intended for testing the emissions from wood and wooden commodities that are not covered and are in contact with fresh water or seawater.

Preservative treated wood test specimens are immersed in water. The recommended wood species are Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine), Pinus resinosa Ait. (red pine), or Pinus spp (Southern pine). Wood test specimens are recommended to be sets of five according to EN 113 size blocks. Control with untreated wood specimens allows for the determination of background levels for emissates from wood other than the preservative used. The number of sets of wood test specimens used for analysing is at least five: three sets of specimens are treated with preservative, one set of specimens is untreated and one set of specimens for the estimation of the oven dry moisture content of the test specimens before treatment. The water (emissate) is collected and chemically analyzed multiple times over the exposure period sufficient to perform statistical calculations (6 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days, 8 days, 15 days, 22 days, 29 days). Tests with untreated samples can be discontinued if there is no background detected in the first three data points.

This Test Guideline is designed to assess the effects of prolonged exposure to sediment-associated chemicals on the reproduction and the biomass of the endobenthic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus (Müller). The method is described for static test conditions.

Worms of similar physiological state are exposed to a series of toxicant concentrations applied to the sediment phase of a sediment-water system (artificial sediment amended with a food source and reconstituted water). Test vessels without the test substance serve as controls. The test animals are exposed to the sediment-water systems for a period of 28 days. The endpoints of this type of study are the ECx for reproduction and biomass. In addition the No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC), and the Lowest Observed Effect Concentration (LOEC) may be calculated. The purpose of the study, ECx or NOEC derivation, will determine the test design. At least five concentrations and a minimum of three replicates for ECx, or four replicates for NOEC/LOEC, for each concentration should be tested. The test is conducted with at least 10 worms for each replicate. The report should include the total number and the dry weight of the worms, the observations of abnormal behaviour, of mortalities, the water characteristics within the test vessels and the total organic content.

This Test Guideline describes a method, which can provide information that is useful in predicting the likely effect of a test substance on gas production in anaerobic digesters.

Aliquots of a mixture of anaerobically digesting sludge (20 g/L to 40 g/L total solids) and a degradable substrate solution are incubated alone and simultaneously with a range of concentrations of the test substance in sealed vessels for up to 3 days. At least triplicate sets of bottles for each of a range of concentrations are used. This study includes measurement of pressure (indication about the amount of gas) and pH. The percentage inhibition of gas production brought about by the various concentrations of the test substance is calculated from the amounts produced in the respective test and control bottles (with 3,5-dichlorophenol). The EC50 and other effective concentrations are calculated from plots of percentage inhibition against the concentration of the test chemicals or, more usually, its logarithm.

The aim of these studies is to demonstrate the time period for which stability has been shown in representative commodities from crops.

Freezer storage stability studies should include sufficient starting material and should have a sufficiently high concentration of residue to allow for any observed decline during storage to be quantified. Samples could either be from crops (or animals) that have been treated with pesticides in the field, or from the spiking of control commodities with known amounts of each component of the residue definitions. Freshly spiked control samples of the stored commodities should be analysed at each of the time points when aged/stored commodities are removed from frozen storage for analysis. The control samples used for procedural recovery determinations will be the same commodity. At least two sampling intervals (time zero and other) should be used; the sampling interval depends on the stability of the residues. Duplicate samples of every commodity at each time point for all components of the residue definitions need to be analysed.

The report should include the residue results and the statistical treatments.

What are the recent trends and prospects for investment in power generation? What are the main drivers and barriers? This book assesses these issues and gives special emphasis to the question of how uncertainties may affect investment decisions. Uncertainties on CO₂ constraints, on power plant licensing, on acceptability of nuclear power, on local opposition to any new energy infrastructure, on government support for specific generation technologies and on government policies on energy efficiency are particularly disturbing. Market liberalisation can also be a key uncertainty, but this may be greatly reduced and deliver considerable benefits if liberalisation is implemented whole-heartedly and backed by on-going government commitment.  

This publication looks at the importance of the EU sugar industry in the global sugar market. It analyses how sugar reforms adopted by the EU council in 2006 have led to market changes. The first part of this report looks at what might happen if complete policy reform and full trade liberalisation took place. This gives the reader insight into the impact that sugar support policies have had in making this industry one of the most heavily subsidised, protected and distorted agricultural commodities markets. The effect that sugar support policies in the EU and worldwide have made to production and trade developments in other countries are also highlighted. The second part of this report looks forward, to examine how the sugar market may evolve up to 2015 in light of the sugar policy changes which were introduced in 2006. Finally, an initial evaluation of the EU sugar policy reform is made in light of the OECD Ministerial principles for agricultural policy reform.

DYK: The wages of sugar farmers in the EU are three times above the world average

Global value chains are radically altering how goods and services are produced--parts made in one country, for instance, are increasingly assembled in another and sold in a third. The globalisation of production has changed the industrial structure within OECD countries, and in some sectors blunted their competitiveness. Another major consequence has been fears of job losses, due to outsourcing and offshoring—not only in manufacturing but also in services. The rapid integration of China and India, with their large pool of educated people, further reinforces these concerns.  How should OECD countries respond?

This report brings together OECD data on the globalisation of value chains, including the rise of outsourcing/offshoring.  It first examines how OECD countries are affected by the globalisation of production, on both the macroeconomic and sector-specific levels. The costs and benefits of globalisation are then discussed, with an emphasis on employment and productivity. Finally, this report analyses how globalisation impacts the competitiveness of OECD countries, highlighting the need for an effective innovation strategy.  The report discusses not only the moving up the value chain that takes place in OECD countries but also in China, as R&D is increasingly going  to emerging countries.