Overview
Mission
To protect plant health and biodiversity in Barbados by ensuring the safe production and importation of crops, crop products and food.
The Plant Protection Department encompasses the following:
- Entomology Unit,
- Plant Pathology Unit, and
- Plant Quarantine Unit
The Plant Protection Department functions to protect and enhance agricultural crop resources through the provision of research, developmental, regulatory and extension services in the area of pest and disease management.
The Plant Protection Department’s mandate is the phytosanitary security and conservation of Barbados’ agricultural plant biodiversity through the identification of plant pests and diseases and provision of environmentally sound control practices.
The Plant Protection Department is involved in:
- assisting in the commitment to ensuring the country’s food security, especially within the current global climate, by ensuring that good agricultural practices and food safety policies are adhered to.
- ensuring that the country is well served with respect to being able to respond, identify and manage new pest incursions with a focus on strengthening existing laws and regulations as well as providing technical expertise and training to the quarantine staff involved.
- fulfilling the requirements set out in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement and protocols including the preparation of a country pest list, conducting pest risk analyses and surveillance for economically important pests and diseases.
Services
- promotion of integrated pest management.
- ensuring availability of safe and quality pesticides for sustaining crop production from the ravages of pests and diseases.
- coordinating the quarantine measures for reporting, detecting and eliminating exotic pests.
- detecting and eliminating harmful weed species.
- fulfilling the requirements set out in the WTO/SPS Agreement and protocols including the preparation of a country pest list, conducting pest risk analyses and surveillance for economically important pests and diseases.
- complementing food safety by ensuring that good agricultural practices and policies are adhered to.
- testing bio-pesticides (bio-rationals) and other chemicals generally regarded as safe (GRAS) to ensure that they afford the farmer the protection needed and to put in place the necessary regulations for the importation of these bio-pesticides.
- ensuring that the country is well served with respect to being able to respond, identify and manage new pest incursions through strengthening of existing laws and regulations as well as providing technical expertise and training.
- assisting in the education of farmers, schools and other tertiary institutions and the public in general about pests and diseases of plants.
Legal Framework
- Amendment to Animal and Diseases Act
- Animals Diseases and Importation Control Act CAP 253
- CITES Act
- Pesticide Control Act 1974
- Pesticide Control Regulation 1974 CP395-B
- Pesticide Control Labelling Regulation 1976 CP395-A
- Pesticides Act CAP 395
- Plant Protection of New Varieties CAP267
- Plant Pest and Disease Eradication CAP266A
- Plant Protection Act CAP268
- Protection of New Plant Varieties Act, 2001 CAP. 267
- Protection of New Plant Varieties Order, 2001 (S.I. No. 134 of 2001)
Contact Us
Entomology Unit
Mr. Ian Gibbs
Senior Agricultural Officer
Graeme Hall, Christ Church, Barbados
246) 535-5203
IGibbs@agriculture.gov.bb
entomology@agriculture.gov.bb
Plant Quarantine
Mr. Ian Griffith
Agricultural Officer
Crumpton Street, Bridgetown, Barbados
(246) 535-6600
IGriffith@agriculture.gov.bb
quarantine@agriculture.gov.bb
Plant Pathology Unit
Mr. Michael James
Senior Agricultural Officer
Graeme Hall, Christ Church, Barbados
535-5252 or (246) 535-5256
MJames@agriculture.gov.bb
pathology@agriculture.gov.bb
plantprotection@agriculture.gov.bb