SPRINT

SPRINT will develop a Global Health Risk Assessment Toolbox to integrate assessments of the impacts of plant protection products (PPP) on ecosystem, plant, animal and human (EPAH) health.
SPRINT will use three main attributes for health status: resilience, reproduction/productivity and manifestation of diseases. The goal of the project is to develop methods for an integrated risk assessment at the local, regional, national and European level, focusing on different PPP use patterns and detected residue mixtures in contrasting farming systems (conventional, integrated, organic). SPRINT consists of 9 interlinked work packages. The distribution and the impacts of PPP on EPAH health will be evaluated at 11 case study sites (CSS), ten located in diverse agricultural European landscapes, and one in Argentina (soy production for feed for EU market). PPP environmental pathways, and direct (food/feed ingestion) and indirect (air/dust inhalation and dermal uptake) animal and human exposure routes will be assessed to improve current fate, exposure, and toxicokinetic models (e.g. EFSA-FOCUS, BROWSE, BREAM). (Eco)toxicological assays will be performed based on CCS findings, using existing and improved procedures, including alternative testing criteria and new target organisms. Such assays will cover direct and indirect exposure to multiple PPP residues, realistic ranges of PPP concentrations, multi-species scenarios, and short- and long-term time horizons. Modelling of sustainability and cost-benefit analysis at the farm and macroeconomic level will be conducted to derive recommendations for sustainable transition pathways, and a research agenda on PPPs. SPRINT is based on a multi-actor approach with CCS platforms to engage stakeholders and identify respective needs, improving farmer and citizen awareness, joint development of novel management strategies for reduced reliance on PPP use, and creation of an enabling environment for adoption and change.