Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tighten the rules governing importation of trees and shrubs after 31 December.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
From January 2021, trees, shrubs and other plants entering Great Britain from the EU will be subject to third country import requirements. Controls on the highest risk products from the EU will apply immediately following the end of the transition period. This includes requirements to pre-notify, the need for a phytosanitary certificate to accompany regulated consignments and physical inspections on imports once they have arrived in Great Britain. It is already the case that imports of regulated plants and plant products from non-EU countries are subject to import controls.
The UK intends to ensure that its Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regime remains appropriate to address the risks it faces. The UK plant health services already conduct risk-based checks at the border in relation to imports from non-EU countries. The checks undertaken are determined according to an assessment of the risk presented by the import of different plants and goods from different origins. This risk assessment and risk management approach will apply to SPS goods from the EU from 1 January 2021.
For plants (including trees and shrubs) and plant products, a common import regime will ultimately apply to all third countries, so any changes will apply equally to EU and non-EU countries. Notwithstanding the phasing in of controls, any changes to GB's import requirements from the end of the transition period will apply to all third countries (including the EU).
Defra, with the devolved administrations, actively monitors and reviews plant health risks and the government will respond as needed to ensure UK biosecurity continues to be protected.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the incidence of oak processionary moth in the UK in 2020 to date.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Forestry Commission has an annual programme of surveillance in place. This year, the Commission has enhanced its surveillance programme within the UK Protected Zone as a precaution in response to an increased number of intercepts of Oak Processionary Moth in 2019.
Oak Processionary Moth is established in most of Greater London and in some surrounding counties. In June and July 2020, it was found on a very small number of trees at five sites within the Protected Zone, in the English counties of Sussex, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cheshire. Swift action was undertaken to eradicate recent findings, including surveillance, tracing work and the removal of caterpillars and infested trees.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect the UK from the import of (1) oak processionary moth, (2) emerald ash borer, and (3) Xylella fastidiosa.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government has established UK Preparedness Boards for both Xylella fastidiosa and the emerald ash borer (EAB), chaired by the Chief Plant Health Officer, to monitor and mitigate risks and to ensure a swift and effective response should either enter the UK.
On 21 April, Defra also introduced new national measures to impose more stringent import requirements to protect the UK from these threats.
For Xylella, the import of Coffea and Polygala myrtifolia species is now prohibited, due to a high disease rate in these species, and stronger import requirements have been introduced for other high-risk hosts including olive, almond, Nerium oleander, lavender and rosemary.
For the EAB, there are stronger controls on countries within 100km of confirmed outbreak areas. This includes the removal of an option in EU legislation to remove the bark and sapwood to a depth of 2.5cm for all countries regulated for EAB.
In relation to oak processionary moth (OPM), restrictions on oak tree imports were tightened in 2019, so that imports of all oaks from outside Europe are prohibited and the import of large oaks (which are susceptible to OPM) from Europe is prohibited, unless they originate in a pest-free area or a country where OPM is not known to occur, or have been grown under physical protection throughout their life.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in how many locations, and on what dates, oak processionary moths have been identified in the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Plant Health Service has intercepted oak processionary moth on oak trees at 58 sites within the UK Protected Zone (as at 25th July 2019). The infested oak trees have all been recently imported from the continent. The intercept sites are in the counties and regions of Bedfordshire, Birmingham, Cambridgeshire, County Durham, Devon, Dorset, Essex, Fife, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Invernesshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Wiltshire and Yorkshire. Swift action is being taken to eradicate recent findings, including surveillance, tracing work and the destruction of caterpillars and infested trees. Emergency measures were introduced in England on 15th July to stop the import of mature oak trees, unless robust conditions are met, to prevent the further introduction of this pest and protect the health of oak in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what instances of the importation of oak processionary moth on oak trees have occurred in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The unprecedented expansion of oak processionary moth (OPM) on the continent has led to intercepts of OPM on oak trees imported from ten nurseries in the Netherlands and one nursery in Germany (as at 19th July 2019). Swift action is being taken by the UK Plant Health Service to eradicate recent findings, including surveillance, tracing work and the destruction of caterpillars and infested trees.
Emergency measures were introduced on 15th July to strengthen the import requirements for oak trees to reduce the risk of spread of this pest and protect the health of oak in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they are giving to an immediate and total ban on the import of (1) oak, and (2) olive, trees.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Protecting our country from pests and diseases is vital to safeguarding our environment, economy and health. Globalisation in trade and increased travel means threats to plant health are increasing, but we have a strong response in place.
Emergency measures were introduced in England on 15th July to stop the import of mature oak trees, unless robust conditions are met, to prevent the further introduction of this pest and protect the health of oak in the UK.
When considering prevention of the spread of Xylella fastidiosa to the UK, we already have strict regulations in place. However, we review the risk situation continuously and are currently considering a range of options for olive trees, including a full ban on imports.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, what steps they are taking to encourage the planting of homegrown stock to address concerns about the importation of tree diseases.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra has provided support for the Woodland Trust’s nursery accreditation scheme which helps to promote UK sourced and grown planting stock and the now separate UK Grown in Britain scheme. To reduce the risk of importing tree diseases, Defra encourages a policy of safe sourcing and has been working with the Horticultural Trades Association to launch the ‘Plant Healthy’ management standard in January.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in the last 12 months to pursue the possibility of a quarantine system for all imported trees.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
In May 2018 the Secretary Of State published the Tree Health Resilience Strategy and a National Action Plan which included a commitment to consult on the potential for quarantine for high risk plant species. We have recently completed an informal phase of engagement with the Tree Health Policy Group on this issue, and are now conducting research to help shape a formal consultation phase. The research aims to increase the evidence base for the volume and type of plants which enter the UK and identify what specific pest/host combinations pose the highest risk and may be suitable for quarantine measures.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase public awareness at all points of entry into the UK of the dangers of introducing tree disease on plants of any kind brought into the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Last year, the Government launched the Don’t Risk It communications campaign to encourage the travelling public not to risk bringing plant pests and disease into the UK. This summer, advertising space has been secured at the departure lounges of two of the UK’s busiest airports, Gatwick and Manchester, in addition to the plant health messaging at the Border Force arrivals channels. The Don’t Risk It campaign has featured in the Brittany Ferries passenger magazine which has an estimated reach of over 300,000 travellers, and is also being highlighted in the July edition of the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) The Garden magazine. This will be accompanied by a social media campaign and a visible public presence that includes all RHS shows as well as important regional events such as the Royal Welsh Show.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make (1) environmental organisations, and (2) tree and woodland owners, aware of the need to remove ivy to protect the crowns of trees.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Forestry Commission has found that while ivy may be a contributory factor in the death of some declining trees, their investigations suggest this is more to do with exacerbating problems in already weakened or diseased trees than actually killing healthy ones. The majority of healthy tree species are able to tolerate the presence of ivy and there is no strong scientific evidence to suggest that ivy is harmful to trees in general. The removal of ivy is a decision for individual landowners and managers and we do not promote or encourage the removal of ivy which can itself provide valuable habitat for wildlife.