Plant Health
There are many plant pests and diseases, which if they were to become established in Great Britain, could cause serious damage to our crops and plants. Official controls and restrictions on the import, movement and keeping of plants, plant pests and other material e.g. soil are vital to help prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms.
Protecting plant health is a shared responsibility between government, growers, traders and the general public. There are two main elements to plant health. Quarantine measures are taken to keep foreign pests out of areas where they could cause damage to crops, trees and wild plants. Measures are based on a scientific assessment of the risks. They may include rules restricting import and movement of plants and plant produce, or specifying treatments or inspections which have to be carried out. Surveys and publicity increase the chance that outbreaks are detected early while they can still be eradicated. Certification ensures that high quality planting material, substantially free from plant pests and diseases, is available to growers. For example all seed potatoes sold in the UK are certified.
Fera is responsible, on behalf of Defra, for implementing the plant health Regulations in England and Wales (on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government). The Scottish Government is responsible for implementation in Scotland. Separate but similar arrangements apply in Northern Ireland.
Fera, together with the devolved administrations and the Forestry Commission (FC) forms the UK Plant Health Service and works with other EC Member States and the European Commission to agree appropriate plant health rules for Europe and co-ordinate their implementation. A range of services are available to help growers, traders and the general public meet their obligations under these plant health rules.
What's new
6 April 2012 - The Plant Health (Fees) (England) Regulations 2012 come into force
On Friday 6 April 2012 the Statutory Instrument laid before Parliament on 12 March 2012 to introduce new fees for the five statutory plant health services of Import inspections for plant health controlled material from non-European Union countries, Import inspections on potatoes imported from Egypt, Plant health licensing services, Plant health passporting services and Seed potato certification service came into effect.
The phased increases in fees will roll out over three years, with 50% of the gap between current statutory income and the current full cost of service provision being closed in 2012 and the remainder by 2014.
Details of the new fees payable from 6 April for each of the five statutory plant health services are available here.
30 March 2012 - New European Commission emergency measures against the Citrus longhorn beetle
30 March 2012 - An update about emergency measures to prevent the spread of Epitrix is now availble
28 March 2012 - Asian longhorn beetle outbreak press release
16 March 2012 - Comments sought on new rapid assessment for Stenchaetothrips spinalis
13 March 2012 - Comments sought on new pest risk assessment for Rhagoletis cingulata
13 March 2012 - Comments sought on new rapid assessments for Macchiademus diplopterus and Musotima nitidalis
10 February 2012 - Update to tomato diseases - Tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV)
9 February 2012 - PRESS RELEASE: New disease identified in native juniper trees in Upper Teesdale
3 February 2012 - Comments sought on new consultation for Pomacea insularum
23 January 2012 - The Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2012 apply from 13 February 2012. The regulations implement changes to some fees for trades eligible for reduced import inspection levels following the annual review of the reduced checks system by the European Commission. Details of the change can be found here, and the List of reduced inspection levels is also now available.
8 January 2012 - Comments sought on new Rapid Assessment for Fusarium oxysporum
6 January 2012
- Comments sought on new Consultation for Liriomyza spp.
- Comments sought on new Rapid Assessment for Drosophila suzukii
Review of the EC Plant Health Regime
A review of the Plant Health regime is currently in progress. To download the Review, please click here.
More information
For more information, please contact us or use the following links:
A more detailed account of the principles and practice of plant health is given in Defra's Plant Health Strategy for England.