Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage and support the planting of, and care for, trees in our towns and cities, given the role played by urban trees in controlling air pollution.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government intends for one million more trees to be planted in our towns and cities and to place new duties on councils to consult when they wish to cut down street trees.
There is evidence that healthy, well-chosen and well-placed urban and peri-urban trees and woodlands can have a small, but beneficial impact on urban air quality.
The Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) is considering further the evidence around the potential of trees to contribute to improvements in air quality to inform our further policy development. The AQEG is an Expert Committee to Defra that provides independent scientific advice on air quality.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the UK exiting the EU, what steps they plan to take to tighten the rules governing the bio-security of imported trees and other plants.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We are committed to protecting our borders from pests and diseases and we are promoting biosecurity internationally, at UK borders, and inland.
We are considering the implications for plant health biosecurity and possible options as part of our planning for, and negotiations on, the UK’s exit from the EU.
Continuing to deliver a risk-based, proportionate plant health regime, that effectively protects the UK from plant pests and diseases, whilst maximising the free movement of goods, remains one of the Government’s highest priorities.
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 awareness amongst travellers at all points of entry to the UK of the threat from imported plant diseases to trees in the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government is committed to doing all it can to prevent plant pests and diseases reaching our borders. We work collaboratively with the international community, industry, NGOs, landowners and the public to raise awareness and reduce the risks of pests and diseases entering the country.
Evidence suggests that campaigns to raise awareness amongst travellers should place emphasis on pre-border communications, consistent with action at the border to reinforce messages and make compliance easier and target specific risk groups.
At UK points of entry, Border Force display the rules on what travellers can bring in on leaflets, posters and plasma screens to make compliance and action at the border easier to enforce. Defra and Border Force are committed to work together and reduce illegal imports of biosecurity risk material by strengthening effectiveness and efficiency of import controls and targeting risk material at the border.
Defra will continue with social media-led public information campaigns over the summer months targeted at travellers to make them aware of the strict rules in place to protect Britain from pests and diseases that affect plants.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the dangers posed to trees and shrubs by Xylella fastidiosa, and the experiences of France and Italy in tackling that disease, what steps they are taking (1) to prevent it entering this country, and (2) to deal with any incursion should it occur.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Xylella fastidiosa is a regulated pathogen in the EU under the Plant Health Directive, with strengthened requirements now in place in response to the risk posed by this organism. This includes measures to protect against its introduction from countries outside the EU, as well as requirements to prevent infected material being moved from areas within the EU where it is present.
Xylella fastidiosa is currently not present in the UK and we are taking robust action to protect against its introduction, including restricting high-risk imports, inspecting host material from outside the EU and raising awareness, through publicity and direct interaction with growers and trade associations.
Our aim is to prevent further introductions into the EU as a whole (thereby protecting the UK) and to prevent spread from areas of the EU where it is present. This includes engaging actively with our EU partners and the European Commission on ensuring we have the best possible protective measures in place.
Imports of host plants from outside the EU can now only take place where the pest status of the country or origin has been confirmed and when stringent import conditions have been met. All such imports are inspected at points of entry. Plant species which have been confirmed as a host in the EU must now be accompanied by a Plant Passport, meaning they can only be moved into and within the UK by officially authorised businesses. Additional requirements apply to areas where the pathogen is present to prevent the movement of potentially infected plants from such areas.
Through our delivery bodies we are applying the EU-wide provisions as well as carrying out surveillance visits of premises growing and trading host plants. In the event of an incursion, a full investigation would take place to determine the circumstances and the actions required. Should an outbreak occur, the requirements of the EU Decision would apply, including destruction of infected and potentially infected plants and demarcation of the outbreak area with restrictions imposed in line with the Decision. We are working closely with industry bodies to raise awareness and encourage good practice.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 23 June (HL368), how many young trees were imported for non-forest reproductive purposes, as monitored through the statutory notification schemes administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, in the planting seasons 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The data provided relates to all tree notifications received regarding imports under the statutory notification scheme, administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This data combines the number of notifications from the start of the scheme in January 2013. These notifications cover the species elm, oak, ash, pine, plane and sweet chestnut from the dates they were added to the statutory notification scheme.
No notifications were received for ash, as movement restrictions have been in place since 2012 due to ash dieback.
This data does not distinguish whether a tree is young or not. Notification of age is not a requirement under the scheme and is therefore not recorded.
In summary, 3548 notifications were received covering approximately 1.6 million trees.
Tree species | Ulmus (Elm) | Quercus (Oak) | Pinus (Pine) | Plantanus (Plane) | Castenea (Sweet Chestnut) | Total |
Notifications | 77 | 2,371 | 778 | 188 | 134 | 3,548 |
Trees | 8,802 | 1,117,696 | 424,948 | 10,983 | 35,158 | 1,597,587 |
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many young trees were imported into the United Kingdom for the 2014–15 planting season; how this compares with the previous year; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such imports on the health of trees in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The data provided relates to forest reproductive material, the generic name for the seeds, cones, cuttings and planting stock used in forest establishment. It does not cover imports for non-forest reproductive purposes, which are monitored through the statutory notification schemes administered by the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
The data is only available in financial years and relates to imports from the EU and elsewhere. In summary, import of bareroot and container forestry plants for 2014/15 was 2,088,890 (this figure is for controlled and voluntary species). This represents a significant decrease on 2013/14.
According to the Forest Nursery Trade, the decrease in figures is due to an increase in demand for home grown material in Great Britain.
We assess the impacts of tree and plant pests and diseases using the Plant Health Risk Register, which is publicly available on the Fera website.
Where necessary, we introduce additional plant health requirements in response to threats associated with movements from other Member States.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department is responsible for the planting and care of trees in the urban environment.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
No single Government department is responsible for the planting of trees in the urban environment, although Defra has general responsibility for forestry and tree health issues in England. The Government’s Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January 2013 recognised the social and environmental benefits of urban trees. The Government has backed this up by supporting charities and community groups to plant one million new trees through the Big Tree Plant, many in urban areas of the greatest deprivation. This is, however, only a fraction of the total number of urban trees in England, the vast majority of which will have been planted by local authorities or private landowners.
As in rural areas, the care of urban trees principally falls to the owner of the land on which they are planted, so the care of trees in our cities’ streets and public parks is generally the responsibility of the local authority. There are also numerous instances of Government bodies such as the Forestry Commission and the Animal and Plant Health Agency working closely with local authorities and landowners to address tree and plant health issues in their area. For example, the Forestry Commission has been working closely with local authorities in London on oak processionary moth.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the incidence of ash dieback in the United Kingdom in the last year as compared with earlier years.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The total aggregate number of sites with confirmed findings of Chalara at the end of calendar year 2014 was 949. This includes wider environment findings, recently planted trees and nursery sites.
This had increased from a total of 615 at the end of calendar year 2013, and 323 at the end of calendar year 2012. The first findings of Chalara in the UK were during 2012.
An interactive map showing the geographical distribution of Chalara in the UK is available on the Forestry Commission website and is updated on a monthly basis.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating the possibility of establishing a statutory quarantine system for all trees imported into the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The Government takes a risk-based approach to prioritise action on plant and tree pests and pathogens to improve resilience. We have produced, working with stakeholders from across industry, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public, a prioritised plant health risk register of 750 known pests and diseases.
On that basis and where appropriate, we have acted to introduce movement restrictions or requirements for importers to notify incoming consignments of particular species - for example for ash, oak, plane, pine, elm and sweet chestnut.
We are also funding new research to ensure that we have a robust evidence base regarding the pests and diseases that could threaten our trees and plants.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to insist on the implementation of audit trails for all trees imported into the United Kingdom to enable them to be easily traced if necessary.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
The Government takes a risk-based approach to prioritise action on plant and tree pests and pathogens to improve resilience. We have produced, working with stakeholders from across industry, Non-Governmental Organisations, and the public, a prioritised plant health risk register of 750 known pests and diseases.
On that basis and where appropriate we have acted to introduce movement restrictions or requirements for importers to notify incoming consignments of particular species, for example for ash, oak, plane, sweet chestnut, pine and elm.