THE PROVISION OF PESTICIDE RESIDUES IN NECTAR AND HONEY.

Tender description

This project involves investigating the link between pesticide residues in nectar and pesticide residues in honey and how nectar levels and pesticide residues in nectar/honey compare between surrogate crops and proposed uses. Particular attention should be paid to understanding the factors driving residues in nectar and honey for a range of crop scenarios and for a range of active substances. Where particular crops, active substances or application techniques are studied, it should be ensured that results and regulatory solutions proposed can be generalised to other crops, active substances and application/growing techniques. The work should aim to understand how data can be generalised or aligned to data already required within the regulatory system to predict expected residues in food. The limitations of proposed generalisations should be fully explored. The literature, data, experimental system or statistical and modelling approaches must be fully justified and any solutions proposed must be pragmatic and viable in a regulatory context. The contractor must provide a report summarising the methods used to investigate the link between pesticide residues in nectar and residues and the differences in nectar levels/residues and pesticide residues in honey derived from surrogate crops compared to agricultural uses. In addition the contractor should cover the influence of the nectar sampling technique (sampling from flowers,foraging bees or uncapped cells), sample to sample variability and sample timing on potential pesticide residues and the feasability of techniques used for different surrogate crops and agricultural scenarios. The report must outline fully all methods, testing and approaches used. The report must suggest 1) How or if pesticide residues in nectar can be used to predict pesticide residues in honey. 2) How pesticide residues in honey/nectar vary for equivalent application rates to surrogate and agricultural crops. 3) How pesticide residues in nectar are appropriately sampled (timing, technique, sample size etc) for human health and ecotoxicological risk assesments and any constraints for particular agricultural scenarios or surrogate crops. 4) A detailed understanding /model explaining the factors determining pesticide residues in nectar/honey for different melliferous agricultural uses. 5) Suggestions for how these factors can be appropriately and proportionately addressed in data requested from applicants and regulatory risk assessment. Analytical, scientific and statistical techniques used must be appropriately robust. The report must be relevent to the United Kingdom. Additional information: All tender documents are available via the HSE In-Tend supplier e-procurement portal. All responses and requests for clarification must be submitted via the portal. Registration is free of charge and can be completed via the following:- https://in-tendhost.co.uk/hse