BioNovelus retains EPA specialist, and provides update on crop protection testing

BioNovelus, Inc. recently announced that it has retained Mr. John Fournier as its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specialist. Currently, Mr. Fournier is a consultant at Acadia Regulatory Consulting LLC. He will be responsible for seeking the EPA registration for CR-10 and its variations for other applications.

Mr. John Fournier’s position with the EPA was with the Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD), in Arlington, VA. There, he managed the registration of biochemical pesticide products and new active ingredients.

John has worked for Marrone Bio Innovations, where he prepared, submitted, and shepherded registration dossiers through the EPA, including the Quagga & Zebra Mussels control product named Zequanox.

John worked closely with consultants, legislators, industry representatives, and lobbyists to achieve favorable and timely registrations and product placements. He represented Marrone Bio Innovations at meetings with state, national, and international regulatory agencies, including US EPA, FDA, PMRA, UK HSE, OECD, EMBRAPA Brazil, and state agencies.

John is a member of the Biopesticide Industry Alliance (BPIA); he works with BPIA member companies and EPA/PMRA to improve registration timelines.

Update on CR-10 Pilot Testing in Mexico and Costa Rica

BioNovelus Mexican strategic partner’s research and development team, specializing in bio pesticides, has been testing CR-10 on various fungi, bacteria and spores affecting coffee and other crops. Some of these pathogens are affecting North American crops as well.

Coffee rust has returned with the rainy season to Costa Rica; especially in the Perez Zeledon region. Management believes that climate change and coffee rust will have a significant impact on this year’s coffee production. Crop harvesting began this month and will finish sometime in February 2017.

In the Perez Zeledon region, three out of the six coffee plantations testing CR-10 since mid-February 2016 show no significant signs of reinfection (less than 5%). Of course, less rainfall may have also contributed to the eradication of the rust-free plantations. The coffee plants in the other three farms experienced a reduction in coffee-rust infection from previous years.