phyto-threats workshop – the policy perspective
TRANSCRIPT
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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