The utilization of biological control against regulated pests in the <scp>EPPO</scp> region: challenges and opportunities

Abstract Biological control is a pest control method that can offer an environmentally safer alternative to chemical pesticides. The proven safety record of both augmentative and classical biological control technologies allows its utilization against indigenous and non‐indigenous but well‐established pests, whether under protected conditions (e.g., glasshouses) or in open field cropping systems. This manuscript has been developed by the Joint European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control (IOBC) Panel on Biological Control Agents and presents an assessment on the current use of classical and augmentative biological control for the control of regulated plant pests. The paper discusses challenges for the uptake of biological control for regulated pests and provides recommendations to increase the safe use of biological control agents in the EPPO region.