A joint vision for healthy plants

This month (January 2023) a new action plan to protect plants from pests and diseases was published by Defra, in partnership with the Forestry Commission and the Scottish and Welsh Governments. The Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain sets out a five-year vision for plant health, with a focus on national biosecurity, protecting native species and driving economic growth. We welcome and whole-heartedly support the new strategy and are delighted that the Bacterial Plant Diseases Programme is included as a case study.

To protect Great Britain’s plants through a strong partnership of government, industry, and the public, working together to reduce and manage risks posed by plant pests and pathogens, and facilitate safe trade.

Overarching vision for the Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain (2023-2028)

It is 9 years since the last strategy was published in 2014. In that time climate change, global trade and travel have increased, bringing new threats to plant health. There are now 1200 pests and pathogens on the UK Plant Health Risk Register including the bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, which can infect more than 500 species of plant, and Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum, which poses a threat to economically important crops like potato and carrot.

Biosecurity means practical actions which prevent the introduction and spread of harmful pests and pathogens. And preventing diseases is far easier and more cost effective than controlling or eradicating them once they’ve been introduced – managing ash dieback is estimated to cost £15billion in coming years.

The new strategy looks back at some of the progress since 2014 and sets out plans for the next 5 years. Successes since the last strategy document include (among others):

• creation of the UK Plant Health Risk Register
• developing a Generic Plant Health Contingency Plan and UK Plant Health Outbreak Readiness Board
• launch of Plant Health Week and ‘Don’t Risk It’ campaign
• a new imports regime, border checks and early warning systems
• founding of the Plant Health Alliance and Plant Healthy certification scheme
• new opportunities to learn about plant health at all levels from GCSE to postgraduate
• creation of RSB’s Plant Health Professionals Register

Since the last strategy publication UKRI have also invested over £100 million in plant health research and development. The biggest collective investment (£19million) went to the 9 projects that make up our Bacterial Plant Diseases Programme research consortium. Our programme is listed as a case study in Chapter 3 particularly focussing on Brigit which is where the programme began. The case study highlights the importance of collaboration across different disciplines, institutions and agencies, as well as across different countries to build a fuller picture of the threat Xylella poses.

The new strategy looks to build on the current foundations and focus on strengthening plant biosecurity through four key outcomes:

1. a world class biosecurity regime – controlling the import of high-risk plants and materials, monitoring in nurseries and the wider environment, anticipating new threats, and preparing for outbreaks.
2. a society that values healthy plants – encouraging responsible behaviours which minimises the risk of introducing or spreading diseases, including working with the public and stakeholders
3. a biosecure plant supply chain – ensuring that everyone involved in buying or selling plants can make informed choices about plant biosecurity, through standards/certification schemes, intelligence and monitoring, information and training, and supporting domestic plant production to reduce the need for imports
4. an enhanced technical capability – to keep pace with changing threats and be better prepared for the future, through continued investment in new products and processes, supporting research and development, encouraging more collaboration across nations, disciplines and organisations, training and supporting the next generation of plant health scientists

The work of the Bacterial Plant Diseases and our projects sits particularly under ‘Outcome 4 – enhanced technical capability’ but we are also signatories to the Public Engagement in Plant Health Accord which is contributing to Outcomes 2 and 3. We look forward to working with Defra and their strategic partners over the coming years to help turn this strategy into reality.

Read The Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain (2023-2028) here