NVWA: Corné van Alphen is the new Director of Plant Health (NPPO) | news item
News Item | 16-09-2022 | 10:02
At the end of August, Corné van Alphen was appointed as the new director of the ‘National Plant Protection Organization’ (NPPO) at the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). In doing so, he succeeds Don von Arnhem, who took office in August as the Agriculture Council in Washington for the North American region (United States and Canada). Van Alpen worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and has extensive experience in the phytosanitary field and international organizations.
Dr. CAM (Corné) van Alphen (57) lives in the Breda area, studied public administration in Enschede and started working immediately after graduation at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Over 22 years he held various policy and staff positions in various fields including plant health. Since 2000, he has held international positions mainly in the core sector. In the period from 2007-2018, he was coordinator of the Phytosanitary Policy Committee at LNV and represented the Netherlands and Europe at the International Plant Protection Conference. After that, as an agricultural attaché, he was part of the Permanent Representation (PV) in Brussels for four years. There he became involved in fishing and the Brexit file.
About the role of NPPO
Corné van Alphen moved to NVWA when the NPPO position became vacant. NPPO stands for ‘National Plant Protection Organisation’. Every country that is a member of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) must have an NPPO. This organization is responsible for the prevention, control and protection of plant diseases and pests. The Netherlands is geographically small, but a global player in the field of plant health. Because of its important trade interests, the Netherlands must maintain a high focus on NPPO responsibilities. The NPPO is placed with the NVWA because that is where the knowledge, expertise and experience in the field of botany lies.
General interest in plant health
Since his LNV activities, Carne van Alpen has already been heavily involved with plant health, both on the phytosanitary and policy sides. As director of the NPPO – with a total of approximately 600 employees – it is responsible for considerable administration. In his role, he will work for the public good in plant health, for example by driving innovation in work processes and prioritizing the deployment of people and resources. His focus will also be on building relationships with national and international partners and stakeholders within the Phyto Network.
More info
If you have any questions about this meeting notice, journalists can contact the NVWA press office at [email protected] or telephone number (088) 22 33 700.
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