In 2012 the National Plant Protection Organization of the Netherlands merged with other governmental organizations and formed the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
The National Plant Protection Organization of the Netherlands was established in 1899. In 2012 the NPPO merged with other governmental organizations and formed the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). The NVWA is an integral part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and its head office is based in Utrecht.
Activities
- Representation of the Netherlands in international meetings and agreements concerning phytosanitary issues. These include EU phytosanitary regulations, import requirements of non-EU countries, EPPO- and IPPC-forums.
- Management of international phytosanitary projects and technical assistance carried out by the NPPO. Link between international agreements and national phytosanitary procedures.
- Coordination and participation of experts of the NPPO in international meetings.
- Formulating technical and policy advice on crop management products, including pesticides, biological control agents and cultivation strategies. Specific advice is provided to the national Board for the Authorization of Pesticides, in particular on the efficacy of pesticides. The division also advises about eradication measures for quarantine organisms.
- Guidance on the execution of phytosanitary policies and measures. This guidance is based on EU regulations and requirements of importing non-EU countries. Pest Risk Analysis is an important instrument.
- Guidance to officially recognized control agencies (including Naktuinbouw, NAK, KCB and BKD).
- Implementation of phytosanitary policy and eradication actions in case of outbreaks of regulated pests and surveillance.
Netherlands Institute for Vectors, Invasive plants and Plant health
The Netherlands Institute for Vectors, Invasive plants and Plant health (NIVIP) consists of six technical-scientific departments: bacteriology, entomology, molecular biology, mycology, nematology and virology. These departments dispose of reference collections and inoculum of a number of organisms. Reference material is available on request. Diagnostics concerns detection of an organism followed by identification of the damage inflicting organism(s) or pathogen(s). Samples are submitted by the Field Service, from private parties or from authorities of other countries. In addition this division carries out operational research, literature research, provides technical advice and supports the completion of Pest Risk Analysis. The division Diagnostics cooperates with Wageningen University and Research Centre. The membership of (international) networks and participation in working parties guarantees up-to-date information on identification, importance and occurrence of plant diseases. The division shares its gained expertise with those working in the field of plant health in The Netherlands and abroad.
Q-bank
On initiative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, a new diagnostic tool has become available for organisms harmful to crops and green space: Q-bank.
Q-bank is an online database which integrates morphological, molecular, physiological, biological and ecological information of bacteria, fungi, insects, nematodes, phytoplasmas, viruses and viroids, and invasive plants. Q-bank contains information and identifications, i.e. checked by specialists, as well as reference material of quarantine species, available in Dutch collections.
Q-bank is designed as a reference database for identification and phytosanitary organizations: national plant protection organizations, private laboratories and general inspection bodies. Reference material, digital keys, descriptions and photos are available in order to quickly and efficiently detect, diagnose and identify quarantine organisms and other pests. These descriptions are in addition to the type of information (diagnostic protocols, data sheets, distribution maps, PRA) generated online by other organizations such as CABI and EPPO.
Entries in Q-bank include physical specimens that are available in our collections, linked to molecular information. All reference material is available on demand, for research and validation of molecular methods. Data in Q-bank is continuously updated by a team of diagnostic experts from the Netherlands Institute for Vectors, Invasive plants and Plant health of the NVWA, in collaboration with researchers from Wageningen UR, Centraal Bureau voor Schimmelcultures and the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden.