According to the Sustainable Development Goals boosted by the WHO, to be sustainable, agriculture must meet the needs of present and future generations of its products and services, while ensuring profitability, environmental health, and social and economic equity. To achieve the global transition to sustainable food and agriculture, it is essential to improve environmental protection, the resilience of systems, and efficiency in the use of resources.
The excessive use of chemical products in agriculture and the control measures implemented, mark the need for phytosanitary alternatives with less risk and less harmful to human, animal and environmental health. Biocontrol products due to their characteristics fit perfectly as the most favourable option to respond to the needs of agriculture in the 21st century. In fact, the global biopesticide market is growing 3.5 times faster than the conventional pesticide market and expected to grow from $3.8 billion in 2018 to almost $10 billion by 2025 at 17% CGAR (Dunhan Trimmer 2019).
The develop of biopesticides is linked, among other reasons, to the ban of chemical active substances and the consumer claim to eco-friendly products. This expansion is also motivated because there is evidence to support the change into biopesticide market, there is scientific support, there is desire for change and the investment is increasing. However, there is still a bump in the road, the slow pace of regulation and licencing these products for the marketplace. For example, there are requirements such as efficacy, low risk, toxicity and ecotoxicity data, among others, it may not make much sense that they are mandatory for biopesticides. And, these is economically unfeasible for SMEs. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure a system in place for biopesticides that ensures their safety and consistency, but which does not block commercialisation. From Bioregulatory Services we believe that this change can be carried out.