Best practice document for the coexistence of genetically modified potato with conventional and organic farming

The Technical Working Group (TWG) for Potato is the fourth one of the European Coexistence Bureau (ECoB) and is established for elaboration of the coexistence issues between genetically modified (GM) potato cultivation and non-GM potato and honey production in the EU. The present technical report analysed the possible sources for potential cross-pollination with GM potato and adventitious admixture of GM potato material such as seeds and pollen and presents consensually agreed by TWG for Potato best practices for coexistence. The terms of reference for this review are presented in Section 1. The scope of the Best Practice Document is coexistence in potato production in the EU. It includes the coexistence between GM potato cultivation and honey production. The ECoB TWG for Potato held two meetings in November 2015 and May 2016 and examined the state-of-the-art from scientific literature, research projects and empirical evidence provided by existing studies for segregation in potato production looking at the factors determining the cross-pollination rates in potato as well as other sources of admixture of GM material in conventional potato harvests and EU-produced honey. The review of this information (coming from a total of 155 references) is presented in a structured manner in Sections 4-6 of this document. Finally, the TWG for Potato reviewed the up to date approaches for the detection and identification of traces of GM potato material in non-GM potato harvests and honey (Section 7). The TWG for Potato of the ECoB, based on the analysis of the evidence summarised in this document submitted proposals for best management practices, which form the ground for the agreed consensus recommendations presented in Section 8, complemented by an ex-ante view about their economic impact (Section 9).JRC.D.4-Economics of Agricultur

Development of the breeding bird community of a silvoarable agroforestry system with short rotation coppice strips over a 16-year period

Modern silvoarable agroforestry systems (AFS) with short rotation coppice strips (CS) are considered as a potential measure to increase structural diversity in agricultural landscapes and to promote biodiversity while simultaneously producing arable crops and woody biomass. However, studies investigating the actual potential of these novel land use systems to promote biodiversity are scarce. We therefore investigated the importance of a silvoarable AFS with different CS variants as habitat for breeding birds on an experimental site in northern Germany, which was studied several times over a 16-year period since its establishment. In addition, the habitat function and quality of CS was compared with hedgerows. The results show that establishing CS on arable land creates additional habitats for shrub and tree breeding species and thus increases species numbers and territory densities. Tree harvest resulted in a decrease in species numbers and densities. However, since Aspen rows (for timber production) or native woody species were retained during harvesting in some CS, suitable nesting opportunities for some species remained. A sharp decline in Skylark territories was observed within the open land of the AFS, from nine breeding pairs in the year after establishment (2009) to only two breeding pairs each in 2022 and 2023. Compared to CS, hedgerows were more species-rich and had much higher territory densities. We conclude that the integration of CS into croplands can promote some species of woody habitats, especially if measures such as the integration of trees of different heights or native woody species and sectional harvesting are implemented. However, CS still clearly lag behind hedgerows in terms of their habitat quality. Furthermore, the establishment of CS may have negative effects on threatened open land species like the Skylark. The requirements of these species should therefore be considered when planning AFS. Establishing AFS with CS could especially be an option in cleared, intensively used agricultural landscapes, where CS could represent a trade-off between the promotion of birds and agricultural production

13 years of biomass production from three poplar clones in a temperate short-rotation alley cropping agroforestry system

Farmers' interest in establishing agroforestry systems is increasing, as they are considered to have many benefits, such as the possibility of climate adaptation and crop diversification. Growing wood on agricultural land can produce biomass for energy or material purpose. Knowledge of the yield potential of the woody component in an agroforestry system is essential for informed decision making by farmers. The present study investigates the biomass production of the three poplar clones 'Max 1′, 'Koreana' and 'Hybride 275′ during the first 13 years (2008–2021) of their growth in a short rotation alley-cropping agroforestry system in Lower Saxony, Germany, on a vertic cambisol as well as a stagnosol soil. There was a high clonal effect on re-sprouting and mortality of the trees as well as on the mean annual dry matter (DM) woody biomass increment (MAI). Overall, 'Max 1′ showed highest re-sprouting, lowest mortality and highest MAI compared to the clones 'Hybride 275′ and 'Koreana'. The MAI of the three poplar clones was not affected by the rotation length of 3 or 6 years. Over the period of 13 years MAI of 'Max 1′ was 13.3 t Mg ha−1 year−1 DM, whereas that of 'Hybride 275′ and 'Koreana' was 10.2 and 9.8 t Mg ha−1 year−1 DM, respectively. The MAI was significantly determined by the factor harvest year. A low MAI was found for the 3-year rotation cycle in 2021, which was most possibly caused by drier and warmer than average vegetation periods in 2018–2020. Under the given site conditions, clone 'Max 1′ proved to be the most productive

Empirical studies on how ethical recommendations are translated into practice: a cross-section study on scope and study objectives

Background Empirical research can become relevant for bioethics in at least two ways. First, by informing the development or refinement of ethical recommendations. Second, by evaluating how ethical recommendations are translated into practice. This study aims to investigate the scope and objectives of empirical studies evaluating how ethical recommendations are translated into practice. Methods A sample of the latest 400 publications from four bioethics journals was created and screened. All publications were included if they met one of the following three criteria: (1) evaluative empirical research, (2) non-evaluative empirical research and (3) borderline cases. For all publications categorized as evaluative empirical research we analyzed which objects (norms and recommendations) had been evaluated. Results 234 studies were included of which 54% (n = 126) were categorized as non-evaluative empirical studies, 36% (n = 84) as evaluative empirical studies, and 10% (n = 24) as borderline cases. The object of evaluation were aspirational norms in 5 of the 84 included evaluative empirical studies, more specific norms in 14 (16%) studies and concrete best practices in 65 (77%) studies. The specific best practices can be grouped under five broader categories: ethical procedures, ethical institutions, clinical or research practices, educational programs, and legal regulations. Conclusions This mapping study shows that empirical evaluative studies can be found at all stages in the translational process from theory to best practices. Our study suggests two intertwined dimensions for structuring the field of evaluative/translational empirical studies in bioethics: First, three broader categories of evaluation objects and second five categories for types of best practices. Trial registration: The methodology used was described in a study protocol that was registered publicly on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/r6h4y/)

Input analysis for two public consultations on the EU Clinical Trials Regulation

BACKGROUND: The European Union’s (EU) Clinical Trials Directive was replaced by an EU-Regulation as of 2016. The policy revision process was subject to a formal impact assessment exercised by the European Commission (EC) from 2008 to 2014. Following the EU principles of Good Governance, deliberation with stakeholders was an integral part of this impact assessment and the policy formulation process. Hence, two public consultations (PCs) were held by the EC in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Various stakeholders contributed and submitted their written input to the EC. Though often cited in the further revision process, the input gathered in the PC was not communicated with full transparency and it is unclear how and to what extent the input has been processed and used in the policy formulation. The objective of this study was an analysis of submissions to both PCs in order to systematically present what topics have been discussed and which possible policy options have been raised by the stakeholders. METHODS: All written submissions publicly available were downloaded from the EC’s homepage and assessed for stakeholder characteristics. Thematic text analysis was applied to assess the full text of a random sample of 33% of these submissions. RESULTS: A total of 198 different stakeholders from the EU and the United States of America contributed to one or both of the two PCs. In total, 44 various themes have been addressed that could be clustered under 24 main themes, including the articulation of problems as well as possible policy solutions to face these problems. CONCLUSION: The two PCs on the Clinical Trials Directive were highly appreciated by the various stakeholders and their input allowed an in-depth view on their particular interests. This input provided a rich source of information for all stakeholders in the field of clinical trials as well as to the EC’s impact assessment. Although the EC obviously gathered a large quantity of expert knowledge on practical implications of trials legislation by consulting stakeholders, it remained unclear how this input was used in the development of the new regulation. For the sake of transparency, it is recommended that in future PCs the EC uses better standardized methods for a more transparent analysis and presentation of results. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12961-016-0141-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Additive manufacturing of C/C-SiC by fused filament fabrication

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Insecticide drift from agricultural spraying into field margin habitats and its effects on non-target arthropods : residual toxicity, impact on populations, and recolonisation processes

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