Phyto-threats workshop – the policy perspective

Richard McIntosh, Assistant Chief Plant Officer, DefraDate: 6 October 2016

Summary

• The value of plant health• The approach to protecting plant health – GB Plant Biosecurity

Strategy• The 5Ps of plant health• A challenge for Industry

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The value of plant health• Maintaining healthy crop (£3.3bn) and forestry (£1bn) sectors helps protect

around £4.3bn of value per year to the economy

• A healthy forestry sector also protects social and environmental value estimated in the region of at least £1.8bn per year, reflecting the following services:

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Recreation Carbon Sequestration

Landscape Biodiversity

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UK biosecurity – our approach

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Approach

1.Strengthening science & evidence to identify risks and to deal with outbreaks.

2.Creating a common approach to assessing risk across Defra and its network

3.Increased vigilance & prevention of risky material entering the UK

4.Better enforcement and responses to threats, to minimise the potential impact of disease and pest risks.

5.More public awareness and engagement with biosecurity.

Outcomes

Fewer incursions of pests

Fewer outbreaks and more effective eradication or containment

earlier detection shorter duration limited or no

spread to the wider environment

Reduced costs for government and industry/trade

Plant Biosecurity Strategy

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Risk-Based Decision Making

Increased awareness and involvement of industry, NGOs, landowners and the public

Pre-Border Border Inland

Overarching principles

Biosecurity Continuum

Actions

Underpinning Requirements

International working

Increased risk-based inspections

Targeted surveillance to detect pests

Contingency plans

New detection and identification

methods

EU regime - better protection for PH

Share information on pathways and

threats

Collaborate with UK border force

and tradeBuild resilience

Evidence

Capability and Capacity

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Protecting the value: The 5 precepts of Plant Health

Ramorum dieback: Phytophthora ramorumKey risksWhat is the threat? Phytophthora ramorum is an oomycete (a

fungal like pathogen) that is damaging to larch and is present in parts of the UK.

How would/does it get here?

Phytophthora ramorum can spread in the trade of plants (such as rhododendron) or in contaminated growing medium.

How does it affect UK crops?

Phytophthora ramorum has killed large numbers of Japanese larch trees in the UK. Other hosts such as rhododendron may suffer dieback. Disease has also been seen in sweet chestnut.

Other impacts Licences are required to move infected wood to processing sites. North American strains have different impacts.

How quickly does it spread?

Spores can be spread quickly by wind or rain and the pathogen can be moved in soil attached to shoes or vehicles, introducing it to new areas of the UK.

How controllable is it? Infected trees must be felled to reduce the amount of inoculum.

Current and proposed actions

Eradication action with a containment strategy in areas where it is established.

Photo 1. Symptoms of P. ramorum on a Rhododendron leaf and © Forestry Commission

Photo 2. Dead larch present in groups in the stands © Forestry commission

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Phytophthora ramorum: limit spread and scale of impacts and prevent introduction of non-European strains

Challenges

• What can my business/the wider industry do to better protect against phytophthora and wider plant health threats:

- Pre-border- At the border- Inland?• What would a 5P approach to protecting against phytophthora/plant

health threats look like for my business/the wider industry?• How can the phyto-threats project help?

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