Нова ordinance on the protection of plants and plant products from economically important pests

As of 4 October 2016, Ordinance No. 14 on the protection of plants and plant products from economically important pests is in force, which regulates the conditions for the application of biological agents, the rules for good plant protection practice and control. The monitoring and diagnostics of economically important pests will be carried out by the BFSA.

In connection with the increasing significance of economically important pests worldwide, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency jointly developed strategies for the conservation of biological diversity and control in the protection of plants and plant products.

Ordinance No. 14, which entered into force at the beginning of October, regulates all conditions under which agricultural producers or consultants hired by them for integrated pest management will be obliged to carry out mass and route surveys of the areas they manage.

Systematic and continuous monitoring of economically important pests will be carried out mainly by plant protection experts in the Regional Food Safety Directorates. The plant protection inspectors of the RFSD will also assist farmers in the surveys.

The monitoring of economically important pests must be carried out at regular time intervals, and the plant protection practices they implement will be recorded in a logbook.

The Ordinance provides that the Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency shall, by order, approve annually by 31 January a list of economically important pests on agricultural crops by administrative regions.

A special working group will determine the economic injury levels of important pests. It will include representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the BFSA, scientific organizations and higher education institutions in the field of crop production.

In case of doubts regarding the type of pest, the employees of the Food Agency, consultants and farmers will take samples for laboratory analysis for diagnostics, which will be examined either in the Central Plant Quarantine Laboratory or in scientific laboratories.

Agricultural producers will keep a logbook of the plant protection measures carried out and fertilization. Upon request, they will be obliged to provide information on the occurrence and development of pests, recorded in the logbook.

The full text of Ordinance No. 14 on the protection of plants and plant products from economically important pests can be found HERE.