Pesticide Residue Analysis Facilities: Experiences fromthe Natural Resource Institute’s Support Program

Pesticide residue analysis is used to support a wide variety of activities including crop protection research, environmental monitoring, consumer protection and legislative enforcement. It is undertaken by research institutes, academic institutions, private laboratories and governmental organizations. In the developed world, pesticide residue laboratories are readily accessible and, on balance, have relatively few problems apart from escalating costs. However, what can be a relatively minor problem to these laboratories may take on a totally different significance to a laboratory in the developing world. National authorities face major problems in introducing routine monitoring facilities. In our search for analytical excellence and improved data quality, are we continually widening the gap, to the point where developing country laboratories cannot compete?