BCPC Congress 2022: Providing policy and regulatory support for multi-functional UK agriculture

The BCPC Congress returned to the Cedar Court Hotel, Harrogate, for a second consecutive year. The programme committee developed an exciting programme with authoritative speakers presenting on the theme:

Providing policy and regulatory support for multi-functional UK agriculture

The conference programme, with links to the respective presentations, is  below.

DAY ONE 8 November 2022
Welcome and introduction – Julian Westaway (General Manager, British Crop Production Council, BCPC)
Chair: Tony Pexton (Farmer, BCPC)

• The potential implications of biodiversity initiatives on global food production – Dr Roslyn Henry (Lead Researcher and Author, University of Aberdeen)
• The impact of EU Farm to Fork strategy on food production, yields and self-sufficiency – Laurent Oger (Director Regulatory Affairs, CropLife Europe)
• Land use in England: looking ahead – Jonathan Baker (Deputy Director, Defra)
• Impact of geopolitical issues and international trade on arable crop production and food security – Nick von Westenholz (Director, Trade and Business Strategy, NFU)

Stream A
Regulatory Affairs
Chair: Iain Watt (Head of Plant Protection, TSG Consulting)

• Developments in regulating active substances in GB – Darren Flynn (Head of Active Substances Team, HSE CRD)
• UK (GB&NI) PPP regime – an industry view two years on from the end of the BREXIT transition period – Sheridawn Schoeman (Country Regulatory Leader, Corteva Agriscience)
• Enforcement developments in the PPP sector, regulator perspective – Laura Catterall (HSE CRD)
• Enforcement challenges in the PPP sector – Richard Bishop (Senior Consultant, TSG)

Stream B
Future developments in pest, disease and weed control
Chair: Susannah Bolton (Vice Principal, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC))

• Progress in integrated weed management – highlights from BCPC reviews – Dr Henry Creissen (Research Fellow, Scotland’s Rural College, SRUC)
• Prospects for disease control – highlights from BCPC reviews – Dr David Ellerton (Technical Development Director, H L Hutchinson)
• Progress in invertebrate pest control – highlights from BCPC reviews – Jon Knight (Independent Consultant)
• Regenerative Farming – is it producing the goods? – Mark Hall (MKH Farming, Bedfordshire)

DAY TWO 9 November 2022
Welcome: Julian Westaway (General Manager, BCPC)
Chair: Dr Chris Hartfield (Senior Regulatory Affairs Adviser, NFU)

• UK PPP regulation – where is the Brexit dividend? – Dave Bench (Chief Executive, CropLife UK)
• The global position for glyphosate – is it improving? – Janet Williams (Head of Regulatory Science, Bayer)
• Natural substances as plant protection products – Europe is lagging behind – Iain Watt (Head of Plant Protection, TSG Consulting)
• Protecting water – Phil Jarvis (Chair of the Voluntary Initiative)
• Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management – Rachel Irving (Deputy Director, Defra Pesticide Hub)
• CRD’s Transformation Programme – building the future regulator – Dr Richard Daniels (Divisional Director, HSE CRD)

CRD workshop: Moving towards more sophisticated approaches to Risk Assessment and Risk Mitigations for PPPs in GB
Dr Chris Snaith (Head of Plant Protection Products, HSE CRD and Grant Stark (Head Evidence, Committees and New Technologies Team, HSE CRD)

Close of Congress
Julian Westaway (General Manager, BCPC)