OECD countries invest significant resources in evaluating agricultural pesticides before they are marketed (or re-evaluating pesticides that have been in use for many years) to ensure that they do not pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment. Since many pesticides used in OECD countries are the same, governments have recognised the substantial benefits that can be gained if the task of pesticide evaluations for registration and re-registration is shared, rather than duplicating each others' work. The OECD Pesticides Programme is working to establish the infrastructure that will facilitate such work sharing. The recent adoption of an OECD-wide future "vision", with specific deadlines for work sharing, should lead to additional (and more routine) work sharing arrangements between governments and industry.

This document provides responses to questions that are frequently asked by governments and industry about the concept of work sharing, and how it would operate in practice. Many of the questions were raised at an OECD seminar on work sharing, held on 31 May, 2006, at the Pesticide Control Service in Ireland. The answers were prepared by a panel of OECD government representatives at that seminar.