Franz Bigler is Head of the Research Unit on Biosafety at Agroscope FAL Reckenholz, the Swiss Federal Research Station for Agroecology and Agriculture in Zürich, Switzerland. Biosafety includes the use of Biological Control Agents and Genetically Modified Plants (GMPs) in IPM systems, and their effects on the environment and agriculture. His key qualifications are IPM, biological control including mass-rearing of insects, quality control, risk assessment and effects of plant protection (pesticides, biocontrol agents, GMPs) on natural enemies and other non-target orgnisms. As an expert on pesticides and natural enemies he serves the Swiss Pesticide Regulatory Board in which his responsibilities were within the insecticide applications for arable crops (1980- 2000), and, since 2000, within the evaluation of environmental risks of biological control agents. He was a member of the panels on “Regulation of Invertebrate Biological control Agents”of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) and of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) from 1998 to 2003. Since 2004, he serves as an ad-hoc expert to the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) for evaluating applications of genetically modified plants in relation to environmental risks.
He joined IOBC/WPRS in 1980 (WG: “Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms”), and he served the Global IOBC as co-convenor and convenor of the WG “Quality Control of Mass-Reared Insects” (1989-1992). From 1993 to 1996, he was the Secretary-General of IOBC Global. From 1997 to 2005 he was a Council Member of IOBC/WPRS and Liaison Officer for the WGs “Pesticides and Beneficial Organisms” and “Genetically Modified Organisms in Integrated Production”. From 2003 to 2005 he chaired the new IOBC/WPRS Commission on “Harmonized regulation of Invertebrate Biological Control Agents”.