Advancing Pesticide Risk Assessments for Birds, Mammals, and Soil Organisms in Brazil 

In the LATAM region, Eurofins Agroscience Services (EAS) recently received an extension to its GLP accreditation to perform field studies for risk assessment for birds and mammals...

This recognition by INMETRO enables EAS to additionally conduct field studies with birds and mammals for ecotoxicological risk assessments, ensuring compliance with national standards. With its advanced technical capabilities, EAS plays an important role in supporting IBAMA’s efforts and advancing the scientific understanding of pesticide impacts on wildlife in Brazil, promoting environmental protection and biodiversity conservation across the country. 

The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has been working to develop tailored environmental risk assessment (ERA) frameworks for pesticides, with a focus on the country’s unique ecological context. This initiative, supported by academic institutions, aims to establish protocols for assessing the risks of pesticides to various species, including birds, mammals, soil organisms, and aquatic life.

For birds and mammals, IBAMA has proposed both focal and generic species to be included in ERA models, assessing pesticide exposure from agricultural practices like seed treatments and foliar applications. The agency also revealed a new risk assessment tool for these species but emphasized the need to bridge knowledge gaps to progress from preliminary to higher-tier assessments. IBAMA also addressed the risks to soil organisms, including earthworms, microarthropods and enchytraeids, stressing the importance of regional data collection. Screening-level methods for estimating pesticide exposure were introduced, along with the identification of data gaps for higher-tier evaluations.

Eurofins Agroscience Services in LATAM

Eurofins Agroscience Services Latin America was established in 2008 and is based in Indaiatuba city, in São Paulo state, Brazil. With experimental stations in Chile, five stations located in Brazil, and an analytical GLP laboratory, the team at EAS LATAM can provide a full range of research services.

Studies in other countries in Latin America can be performed through partners. Due to the geographic distribution of EAS sites, EAS can perform studies on regional specific crops including soybean, corn, wheat, cotton, sugar cane, coffee, citrus, temperate and tropical fruits, and vegetables. With the biosafety certification at field stations, EAS can conduct trials using GMOs as well as the evaluation of new strains.

The laboratory provides a variety of services, including GLP-compliant residue trials in vegetables, soil, water, and pollinators. It also offers validation of new pesticide residue analysis methods, processing, frozen stability studies, and multiresidue analysis of bees.

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