How to apply for a licence to release non-native invertebrate and microbial biological control agents in England

Background

In England and Wales, under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, non-native animals (including insects and mites) are not allowed to be released into the environment (including in glasshouses and polytunnels). An option exists under the same Act to issue licences for the release of otherwise prohibited species, including non-native biological control agents (BCAs), if they are assessed as not being a significant risk.

Biological control agents are living organisms, including insects or microorganisms, which are used to control pest populations in agriculture and other environments. They can be classified as one of two types: classical BCAs (defined as natural enemies that self-propagate and establish in the introduced environment to suppress pest populations) or augmentative BCAs (defined as mass produced natural enemies that are periodically introduced into a specific environment to supress pest populations). Augmentative BCAs can be further sub-divided into seasonal inoculative agents, which can reproduce and persist throughout the growing season, and inundative agents, which cannot reproduce and must frequently be reapplied throughout the growing season.

Non-native BCAs are defined as BCAs which are not ordinarily resident in the wild in GB and not a regular visitor to GB.

• Ordinarily resident = the population should have been present in the wild for a significant number of generations and should be considered to be viable in the long term.
• Regular visitor = occurs within GB with reasonable frequency or predictability, for example seasonal migratory species. This does not include species which occur exceptionally as vagrants or strays.

All non-native invertebrate BCAs (IBCAs) intended to be released into the environment in England are covered under the non-native BCA regulatory system. Microbial BCAs (MBCAs) are also covered under the non-native BCA regulatory system in England if they:

• are not ordinarily resident in England;
• are not being released as part of a formulated product; and
• are plant pests being held under quarantine conditions (see here for more details).

Microorganisms released as part of a formulated product will be the responsibility of the HSE. See here for further details - hse.gov.uk However, an initial assessment by the Defra Non-native Biological Control Agent (NNBCA) regulatory team may be required under the non-native BCA regulatory system if the microorganism used to make the product needs to be released from quarantine conditions.

There may also be further Animal Health requirements for the importation of invertebrates into the country. The following webpages provide more guidance Importing live animals, animal products and high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from non-EU countries to Great Britain and Import live animals and germinal products from the EU to Great Britain. The APHA imports team should be contacted with any specific enquiries -

When is a non-native invertebrate BCA licence required?

Invertebrate BCAs can be used to control:

• Animal health pests
• Plant health pests
• Public health pests
• Invasive alien pests
• Weeds

A licence is required if a BCA:

• is not ordinarily resident in the wild in England
• is not a regular visitor to England
• There is an intention to release the agent into the environment in England (including in glasshouses, polytunnels and other similar protected structures such as biomes and net houses, but not including laboratories)

A list of BCAs that require a licence for release is provided in Table 1.

No licence is required for the release of the native and naturalised biological control agents listed in Table 2.

* BCAs that are not ordinarily resident or regular visitors in England and which are being used for research under confined conditions are not assessed by the Defra NNBCA licensing team, but it is advisable to hold them under confined conditions. See the guidance below:

Guidelines for holding and researching non-native invertebrate biological control agents under confined conditions in England.

Table 1: Non-native invertebrate biological control agents available for use in England and for which a licence is required

Species	Family	Organism type	Target pest group(s)	Full or shortened application form required?
Aculus crassulae	Eriophyidae	Herbivore	Australian swamp stonecrop	Full
Amblydromalus limonicus	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Thrips and whiteflies	Short
Amblyseius fallacis	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Spider mite	Full
Amblyseius swirskii	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Thrips and whiteflies	Short
Anagyrus fusciventris	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs	Full
Aphalara itadori	Aphalaridae	Herbivore	Japanese knotweed	Full
Chilocorus nigrita	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Scale insects	Full
Delphastus catalinae	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Whiteflies	Short
Delphastus pusillus	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Whiteflies	Full
Eretmocerus eremicus	Aphelinidae	Parasitoid wasp	Whiteflies	Short
Euseius gallicus	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Whiteflies, thrips and spider mite	Full
Euseius ovalis	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Whiteflies	Short
Franklinothrips vespiformis	Aeolothripidae	Predatory thrips	Thrips	Full
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora	Heterorhabditidae	Pathogenic nematode	Vine weevil	Short
Heterorhabditis downesi	Heterorhabditidae	Pathogenic nematode	Root-eating pests	Short
Iphiseius (Amblyseius) degenerans	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Thrips	Short
Leptomastix algirica	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs	Full
Listronotus elongatus	Curculionidae	Herbivore	Floating pennywort	Full
Macrolophus caliginosus	Miridae	Predatory bug	Whiteflies	Full
Metaphycus flavus	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Scale insects	Full
Metaseiulus occidentalis	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Spider mite	Full
Neoseiulus californicus	Phytoseiidae	Predatory Mite	Spider mite	Short
Phasmarhabditis californica	Rhabditidae	Pathogenic nematode	Slugs	Short
Pseudaphycus maculipennis	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs	Short
Transeius (Amblyseius) montdorensis	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Thrips and whiteflies	Short
Trichogramma brassicae	Trichogrammatidae	Egg parasitoid	Moths	Full

Table 2: Invertebrate biological control agents available for use in England and for which a licence is not required

Species	Family	Organism type	Target pest group(s)
Adalia bipunctata	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Aphids
Aleochara bilineata	Staphylinidae	Predatory beetle	Flies
Amblyseius andersoni	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Mites
Anagyrus pesudococci	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs
Anagyrus vladimiri	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs
Anthocoris nemoralis	Anthocoridae	Predatory bug	Psyllids
Anthocoris nemorum	Anthocoridae	Predatory bug	Thrips and psyllids
Aphelinus abdominalis	Aphelinidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Aphelinus asychis	Aphelinidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Aphidius colemani	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Aphidius ervi	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Aphidius matricariae	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Aphidoletes aphidimyza	Cecidomyiidae	Predatory midge	Aphids
Bracon hebetor	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Moths
Carcelia iliaca	Tachinidae	Parasitoid fly	Oak processionary moth
Chrysoperla carnea	Chrysopidae	Predatory lacewing	Aphids
Chrysoperla lucasina	Chrysopidae	Predatory lacewing	Aphids
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Mealybugs
Dacnusa sibirica	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Leaf miners
Dalotia (Atheta) coriaria	Staphylinidae	Predatory beetle	Shore flies and fungus gnats
Dicyphus errans	Miridae	Predatory bug	Whitefly, spider mites and thrips
Diglyphus isaea	Eulophidae	Parasitoid wasp	Leaf miners
Encarsia citrina	Aphelinidae	Parasitoid wasp	Scale insects
Encarsia formosa	Aphelinidae	Parasitoid wasp	Whiteflies
Ephedrus cerasicola	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Episyrphus balteatus	Syrphidae	Predatory hoverfly	Aphids
Eupeodes corollae	Syrphidae	Predatory hoverfly	Aphids
Feltiella acarisuga	Cecidomyiidae	Predatory midge	Spider mite
Leptomastix dactylopii	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs
Leptomastix epona	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Mealybugs
Macrocheles robustulus	Macrochelidae	Predatory mite	Thrips and fungus gnats
Macrolophus pygmaeus	Miridae	Predatory bug	Whiteflies
Metaphycus helvolus	Encyrtidae	Parasitoid wasp	Scale insects
Micromus angulatus	Hemerobiidae	Predatory lacewing	Aphids
Neoseiulus cucumeris	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Thrips
Orius laevigatus	Anthocoridae	Predatory bug	Thrips
Orius majusculus	Anthocoridae	Predatory bug	Thrips
Pachycrepoideus vindemiae	Ptermomalidae	Parasitoid wasp	Drosophilid fruit flies
Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita	Rhabditidae	Pathogenic nematode	Slugs
Praon volucre	Braconidae	Parasitoid wasp	Aphids
Propylea quatuordecimpunctata	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Aphids
Phytoseiulus persimilis	Phytoseiidae	Predatory mite	Spider mite
Rhizobius lophantae	Coccinellidae	Predatory beetle	Scale insects
Rhizophagus grandis	Rhizophagidae	Predatory beetle	Dendroctonus micans (great spruce bark beetle)
Sphaerophoria ruepellii	Syrphidae	Predatory hoverfly	Aphids
Steinernema carpocapsae	Steinernematidae	Pathogenic nematode	Fungus gnats, soil borne insects and vine weevil
Steinernema feltiae	Steinernematidae	Pathogenic nematode	Scarab beetles and fungus gnats
Steinernema kraussei	Steinernematidae	Pathogenic nematode	Vine weevil
Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Hypoaspis miles)	Laelapidae	Predatory mite	Thrips and fungus gnats
Torymus sinensis	Torymidae	Parasitoid wasp	Dryocosmus kuriphilus (oriental chestnut gall wasp)
Trichogramma evanescens	Trichogrammatidae	Egg parasitoid	Moths (including on stored products)

How to apply for approval to release an IBCA or MBCA

Table 1 and 2 above list IBCAs for which a licence is required (table 1) and for which a licence is not required (table 2). These tables are not exhaustive and if there are BCAs not included within them that you have queries about, please contact non-nativebiocontrol.licensing@defra.gov.uk for further advice on release requirements.

If approval is required for the release of a BCA, you should submit a completed application form in advance of any release. This should contain detailed information on the biology of the BCA, its potential for establishment and spread, its host range, any potential direct or indirect impacts, the benefits of the release, and any uncertainties. Application forms should include sufficient data for conclusions to be reliably drawn on the benefit and safety of the BCA being released. Separate application forms are available for augmentative IBCAs, classical IBCAs, augmentative MBCAs and classical MBCAs.

A shortened application form can be used for certain augmentative IBCAs which have:

• been previously approved for release in England;
• been commercially available for five years; and
• had no reports of unintended impacts.

This is indicated in table 1.

Application form to release an augmentative non-native invertebrate biological control agent (IBCA) in England

Shortened application form to release an augmentative non-native invertebrate biological control agent (IBCA) in England

Application form to release a classical non-native invertebrate biological control agent (IBCA) in England

Application form to release an augmentative non-native microbial biological control agent (MBCA) in England

Application form to release a classical non-native microbial biological control agent (MBCA) in England

The approval process

Once your application has been submitted, it will go through a review process. This process differs between applications of classical and augmentative BCAs.

Technical risk assessment is important, as BCAs have the potential to cause unintended environmental impacts, and once they have been released it can be very difficult to eradicate the BCA and reverse any impacts caused. The Defra NNBCA licensing team is responsible for these technical assessments and approving organisms for release.

Classical BCAs will undergo an internal review carried out by the Defra NNBCA regulatory team followed by an external review involving input from the Defra invasive non-native species policy team, Natural England, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Devolved Governments and the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) and others as needed. There will also be a public/stakeholder consultation and a European partner consultation via the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO).

Augmentative BCAs, conversely, will just be subject to the internal and external reviews noted above before approval. This is a shorter process due to the lower level of risk, with any impacts likely to be transient and limited. However, if the augmentative agent has the potential to establish in the wider environment and cause wider impacts, they will be treated as classical BCAs and be subject to the entire review process. Figure 1 gives a summary of this process for the different types of BCAs.

Once approved, the Defra NNBCA licensing team will issue the required licences for the release of an IBCA. Licences differ based on the type of IBCA. In most cases, new licences will remain valid for two years but following renewal will remain valid for five years thereafter.

For classical IBCAs, only one licence is issued:

• Releaser's licence – This provides approval for the applicant to release the agent into England and gives the conditions for release, including the criteria for selecting release sites.

For augmentative IBCAs, three types of licence are issued:

• Supplier's licence – This provides approval for the applicant to release the agent into England for research and development and to supply the agent for the purposes of controlling a pest(s). The licence also gives the conditions for release.
• Distributor's licence – This provides approval for the distributor to supply the agent for the purpose of controlling a pest(s). The licence also gives the conditions for release.
• Grower's licence – This provides approval for the end user to release the agent into England. The licence also gives the conditions for release.

All three of these licences are issued to the supplier who is responsible for distributing the licences to the appropriate parties.

A letter will be provided if IBCAs are held under quarantine conditions to allow their release.

For MCBAs, no licences are issued by the Defra NNBCA licensing team. Instead, a letter is issued giving approval to release the agent from quarantine conditions.

Renewing an existing licence

If there have been no changes in the scientific understanding or the risk posed by the agent since the last licence was issued, a new application is not required. Sending an email to non-nativebiocontrol.licensing@defra.gov.uk stating you are not aware of any evidence which substantially changes the risk posed by the BCA will suffice.

If there are changes that alter the risk of the BCA, the applicant will need to send in a revised application to be reviewed by the Defra NNBCA licensing team. If significant changes to the risk have occurred the review process will be followed as for new applications.

Reference specimens or ID confirmation will be required for renewals of licences.

Contact

If you wish to apply to release a BCA (or renew a licence) in England, or for any further questions on NNBCAs, please contact:

For more information on release of NNBCAs in Scotland, please email:

For more information on release of NNBCAs in Wales, please email:

For more information on release of NNBCAs in Northern Ireland, please email: