Cost-benefit, risk and trade-off analysis of regulation

Abstract

Several reasons have made registration of biological control agents (BCAs) in Europe a time-consuming and costly effort, resulting in these environmentally friendly products being kept off the market. To be cost effective, regulatory states must become cost-benefit states. To avoid over-regulation with all its negative consequences, government regulation should ask whether the benefits of regulation justify the costs of regulation. Such an analysis includes a cost-benefit-analysis, which is supported by a risk-trade-off-analysis. A survey among biocontrol companies indicated that average costs for registration are 1.9 million €. Benefits of regulation are put relative to costs for the different groups of BCAs. Trade-off effects of regulation on biocontrol companies, plant protection practice, consumer safety and the environment are described. Consequences resulting from the joint regulation of BCAs with chemical compounds and the organisation of registration in Europe are specified and proposals for overcoming problems are presented. Contradictions between the objectives of the European agriculture policy and the limited support of biological control are discussed. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.