Ecotoxicology

What is ecotoxicology?

Ecotoxicology is the study of the effects of chemicals on biological organisms, particularly at the ecosystem level. The goal of ecotoxicology testing is to predict the effects of pollution, so that the most efficient and effective actions can be identified to prevent or remediate any detrimental effects.

By Sector

Plant Protection Products (PPP)

See how Fera can help you expedite the discovery, early-stage development and safe manufacture of novel products for crop protection.

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Veterinary Medicines

Working with world-class facilities and instrumentation, applying decades of experience in regulatory consultancy to empower you to meet your veterinary medicines challenges.

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If you are a company developing veterinary products or plant protection products (PPPs), it’s essential that you fully assess the risks posed by your products to the wider environment and natural ecosystems. In the face of ever-tightening regulation and restrictions on the chemical options available, Fera can help you to develop effective, sustainable products that minimise ecosystem impacts and pollution, while maximising the beneficial effects for crops, plants and animals. With a heritage dating back decades and a combined wealth of experience of over 500 years, Fera has some of the industry's most reputable names in ecotoxicology, evaluating the environmental safety of plant protection products, pharmaceutical and veterinary products on behalf of companies seeking registration. This includes investigating the selectivity of products against a range of pests and their usual enemies in the laboratory and the field. Specialising in the fate and effects of substances in the environment, our ecotoxicology specialists are able to respond rapidly to requests for complex, in-depth environmental studies, whether laboratory, field or semi field studies.

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Our services

Aquatic Ecotoxicology

Chemical impact assessment is critical for the protection of the aquatic environment. It is important that testing assesses each of the trophic levels; photosynthetic organisms, herbivores and predatory organisms, including fish.

Mesocosm Studies

Newly-developed chemical compounds need to be safe for the plant and aquatic environment. Our new state-of the-art E-Flows mesocosm and aquatic facilities provide a unique test-bed to demonstrate this

Bee Ecotoxicology Studies

Fera has the research expertise and scientific resources to help you test products for their effects on pollinator survival, development, and behaviour, enabling you to develop products that are safe for bees and other pollinators.

Terrestrial Ecotoxicology

Fera offers a wide range of standardised laboratory studies, aged residue tests as well as more complex higher tier studies under extended laboratory, glasshouse, semi-field and field conditions with standard or bespoke designs.

Pesticide Usage Survey

Fera is commissioned to conduct agricultural, horticultural and amenity pesticide usage surveys by the Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The surveys are funded from the pesticides charge on industry turnover.

Regulatory Risk Assessment

Access to experienced senior scientists across all scientific disciplines, we understand the relevant legislative frameworks and are uniquely positioned to assist you meet the regulatory requirements for crop protection registrations.

As an internationally renowned centre of excellence, Fera is uniquely positioned to assess the biological effect of chemicals and effluent discharges on the environment. In addition to working for and with government departments, Fera's ecotoxicology service provides services to a range of industrial sectors, including veterinary medicine, chemical manufacturers/suppliers, water industry and pharmaceutical. Working within the multi-disciplinary environment of Fera, our ecotoxicology team have the experience and expertise to offer a broad range of acute, chronic and bespoke ecotoxicology studies and related services. We have a proven track record of providing regulatory testing to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) compliancy.

Fera's well-equipped laboratories house facilities to test a wide variety of species ranging from microbes to large fish, and include modern laboratories designed for performing flow-through experiments on freshwater and marine species. Our scientists have broad research experience and capabilities, and have been involved in setting up new international test guidelines for ISO and OECD. Our scientists use their expertise, combined with advanced resources and GLP-compliant laboratories, to assess the impact of your products on aquatic plants and animals, terrestrial non-target plants, insects and microorganisms, bees and other pollinators. We work in partnership with you to devise and conduct the appropriate tests to provide the essential data you need for robust environmental risk assessments.

Meet some of the team

Nick Jarret

Nick is responsible for the management and delivery of both regulatory and non-regulatory studies, with over 15 years experience working on a wide range of GLP compliant non-target arthropod, honey bee, terrestrial plant and soil organism studies, both in the lab and field in the UK and Europe.

Rachel Benstead

Rachel contributes actively to the scientific community by regularly presenting at international conferences, participating in expert workshops and acting as reviewer for international peer-reviewed journals. Her current post at Fera as Senior Aquatic Ecotoxicologist combines her key skills in multi-species ecotoxicology testing and stream ecological assessment for the design of mesocosm scale experimentation.

Selwyn Wilkins

Selwyn specialises in honey bee management, disease recognition diagnosis and control, extension to beekeepers, advice to policy and government and honey bee ecotoxicology.