Latin American Pesticide Residue Workshop—Food and Environment

N. Gras; J.B. Unsworth

doi:10.1515/ci-2016-0224

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Latin American Pesticide Residue Workshop—Food and Environment

N. Gras and J.B. Unsworth

Published/Copyright: March 19, 2016

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From the journal Chemistry International Volume 38 Issue 2

Agriculture is an important industry in Latin America with a correspondingly significant use of pesticides. Export of agricultural products is a major source of income today for some Latin American countries and is likely to remain so, or become more important, in the coming years. With an increasing participation in world trade, it is important that the countries of Latin America adopt international approaches and standards for crop protection chemistry, particularly in ensuring that residue levels meet the required national and international norms.

The Latin American Pesticide Residue Workshop (LAPRW) brings together leading scientists to discuss key regional issues, related to pesticide residues in crops and the environment, and facilitates exchange of information and ideas on the evaluation and regulation of pesticide residues in Latin America. Following on from the 4th LAPRW held in Bogota, Colombia in 2013, the 5th LAPRW took place in Santiago, Chile on 10-13 May 2015 and attracted 482 participants, including 280 participants from outside Latin America. In addition, 21 vendors and distributors from prestigious national and international companies of analytical equipment, materials and devices related to pesticide analysis were also present. Participants represented professionals from academia, the farming and livestock industry, agribusiness, feed distributors, the agrochemical industry, analytical laboratories and government agencies responsible for the control and regulation of pesticide residues in food and the environment.

Claudio Ternicier, Vice Minister of Agriculture, MINAGRI Chile, speaking at the opening of LAPRW2015

Over four days, the Workshop offered 57 lectures, 4 poster sessions, with more than 140 posters, and 2 round table discussions, together with 6 technical seminars. In addition courses were held before and after the main Workshop dealing with ecological risk assessment (see report next page) and validation procedures in pesticides analysis according to the European Regulations. Topics covered during the Workshop included new extraction and detection techniques, multiresidue methods, method validation, maximum residue levels (MRLs), control of residues on exported crops and pesticide regulations.

LAPRW is a biennial forum for discussion in which future developments and concepts on the subject of pesticides in food and the environment are presented. The purpose of the Workshop is to exchange information, experience and strategies among academia, industry and regulatory government agencies, particularly regarding issues affecting countries in Latin America. The next Workshop will be held in 2017 in Costa Rica.

Thanks are due to, among others, ACS-AGRO and IUPAC for supporting the Workshop.

For further information contact LAPRW15 Chair Nuri Gras, nuri.gras@finet.cl

http://laprw2015.com/

Published Online: 2016-3-19

Published in Print: 2016-3-1

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/ci-2016-0224