The Plant Protection Service in the Netherlands

A survey is given of the history, the tasks and the organization of the Plant Protection Service in the Netherlands. Its activities encompass two major fields, concerning phytosanitary and phytopharmaceutical aspects. In the phytosanitary field, a distinction can be made between long-term and short-term phytosanitary policy, depending on whether one has to deal with existing and established pests or diseases, or with a suddenly arising plant health problem. Two examples are given as illustrations, viz. the approach followed in designing new regulations for controlling potato root eelworm, and the campaign against the recent outbreak of fireblight. A further outline is given on the activities of the Plant Protection Service in the pesticides field, on the responsibilities of the different Ministries concerned, and on the basic elements of pesticides legislation. The restrictions imposed on the use of persistent organochlorine insecticides and organomercury fungicides are summarized. Finally, it is emphasized that the problems of plant protection are becoming increasingly complex as a result of a developing antagonism between phytosanitary and phytopharmaceutical requirements, and of a potential antagonism between these two on the one hand and environmental demands on the other. This situation calls for an integrated approach in plant protection matters, and for an intensified international collaboration.