Recently, the pesticide controversy has been raging, and the public always turns pale at the very mention of pesticides; even farmers themselves are not necessarily very clear about pesticide information. At present, there are 536 registered pesticides in the country (including mixtures), but there is a lack of a transparent and easy-to-understand integrated information system for convenient queries. Although the public worries about pesticides, they cannot obtain more information, and panic arises from this.

Just how toxic is a given pesticide, how should it be used and in what dosage, and what is its residue tolerance? If one wants to understand the complete information, the public may have to connect separately to multiple websites to look it up, and for non-experts it is difficult to understand the finer points, making pesticide knowledge a high threshold.

Pesticide information is scattered in various places, which is unfavorable for searching and communication

At present, the relatively complete pesticide data system is the "Pesticide Information Integrated Search Platform" established by the Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute. By entering the common name of a pesticide (for example: imidacloprid), one can look up this pesticide's plant protection information, pesticide manufacturers, licenses, locations where phytotoxicity has occurred, and so on.

But if one wants to understand in more detail the scope of use of a pesticide, one must go to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine's "Pesticide Information Service Network." Under the "Registration Management" item, in "Registered Pesticide Query," after entering the pesticide name, one can look up the crop types approved for use of this chemical, the timing of use, the dosage and dilution factor, and precautions, and can also see whether individual items are extended uses.

For information on pesticide toxicity and safety, one must link to the "Toxicology Database" item on the same website, connect to the "Pesticide Safety Information Database Platform," and after entering the pesticide name, one can see this chemical's toxicity information and toxicological data, and select "Export Pesticide Safety Information." Or one can select the "GHS Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals" item, select a pesticide MSDS example, and also download the safety data sheet for a certain pesticide.

Taking the pesticide "imidacloprid" as an example, after querying and exporting the pesticide safety information (figure below), one can see the recommended uses and restricted uses. But there is no information on the manufacturer or importer, and the hazard identification information is blank.

More detailed and practical pesticide information is needed by both the public and farmers

Popularizing pesticide knowledge can start from the questions the public cares about most. For example, the question everyone asks most often: can pesticides be washed off? This depends on whether the pesticide itself is contact-type or systemic. The former is sprayed on the plant surface and can be removed by washing; if it is the latter, it enters the plant body and translocates, and one can only wait for it to dissipate on its own, as it cannot be removed from the exterior. However, this indicator also cannot be seen from the current pesticide query system.

As for whether a pesticide is fat-soluble or water-soluble, this is also a topic the public cares about, and it likewise involves whether it can be washed off with clean water and whether it will leach out when tea is brewed, yet related information likewise cannot be found.

For farmers doing the actual work, a thorough knowledge of the pharmacology is even more necessary in order to use chemicals precisely. This is especially true of the mechanism of action of each pesticide; for example, for insecticides, do they kill pests through neuromuscular toxicity, growth inhibition, or disruption of the digestive tract? If farmers could obtain detailed information, they could alternate the use of different categories of pesticides and avoid the development of resistance.

However, querying the Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute's "Pesticide Mode of Action and Chemical Classification Search" website only allows one to see simple basic information such as the pesticide's chemical name and molecular formula; as for how it acts on plants, one still has to ask an expert to understand.

The pesticide management mechanism is complex and also needs to be clearly explained

Even if one links to the above websites and finds all relevant pesticide information, one must also understand the pesticide management mechanism in order to interpret it smoothly.
For example, if a certain pesticide has residue tolerances set for dozens of crops, that does not mean these crops in the country may all use this pesticide. Feng Haidong, deputy director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, explained that the crops that may actually be used are only the items listed within the "pesticide scope of use." As for those not within the scope of use but for which tolerances have been set, these were applied for separately for imported agricultural products, and domestic crops still may not use them.

Conversely, if the use of a certain pesticide on a certain crop is approved domestically, there may not necessarily be a corresponding residue tolerance standard. Feng Haidong explained that for most items a corresponding tolerance can be found, but low-toxicity pesticides with an LD 50 greater than 10000 may be exempt from setting a tolerance. There are also some early pesticides that are relatively unlikely to leave residues in use, for which tolerances may not have been set, and these will gradually be added in the future.

There is also another situation: the time gap between a pesticide's approval and the setting of a tolerance. Take again the example of fluopyram on tea trees; in the pesticide scope of use information one can see that its use was approved in November of the 105th year of the Republic of China calendar, but the tolerance standard was only announced recently, and was abolished again a few days ago. During this period, because there was no tolerance standard, this chemical on tea trees was temporarily in a state of being usable but subject to zero detection.

Enhancing pesticide transparency is the only way to improve mutual understanding between producers and consumers

In addition to the need to integrate the registered pesticide query systems and make the information explanations more accessible, so as to improve public understanding and reduce unnecessary doubts, the pre-market review process for new drugs also urgently needs to be open and transparent.

With the current pesticide query systems, it is impossible to look up information such as which new drugs are currently applying, what stage the trials have reached, and which testing institutions are carrying them out. As a result, when a new drug is opened up, even if it has undergone repeated expert review, it is still easy to trigger a wave of backlash.

Otherwise, even the Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for establishing testing methods, this time also faced the awkward situation of a new drug being approved but not in time to be included in the items of the current 310-item pesticide multi-residue analysis method. Even though the Food and Drug Administration explained that foreign methods could be used for separate testing first, this is obviously not within the routine pesticide residue monitoring system, and rigorous gatekeeping would probably still be beyond its capacity.
Feng Haidong said that just how open new drug review should be still needs further study, and consensus must be reached through discussion with the industry, because some information involves businesses' trade secrets; if the government disclosed it early, businesses might simply not come to Taiwan, China to apply for registration at all, so it is still necessary to think and communicate cautiously.

Lin Congxian, minister of the Council of Agriculture, has promised that in the future, pesticides will move from case acceptance to review in the direction of information transparency and broad inclusion of opinions. If consideration could also be given to establishing an integrated information platform for existing pesticides and enhancing its readability and applicability, that would be a key to promoting positive interaction between producers and consumers.

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