Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 26 January 2023.

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has today (Thursday 26 January 2023) set out detailed plans for the nation’s farming sector, supporting farmers to be profitable and resilient as they produce food sustainably while protecting nature and enhancing the environment.

The accelerated roll out of the Sustainable Farming Incentive – a key part of the Government’s Environmental Land Management schemes – will provide farmers with a diverse range of paid actions to manage hedgerows for wildlife, plant nectar-rich wildflowers and manage crop pests without the use of insecticides.

These incentives will make food production more resilient and efficient over the longer term whilst contributing towards the UK’s environmental goals on carbon, biodiversity, water quality and net zero. Together this will safeguard the long-term prosperity of the farming industry and protect the environment for future generations.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

Farmers are at the heart of our economy – producing the food on our tables as well as being the custodians of the land it comes from.

These two roles go hand-in-hand and we are speeding up the roll out of our farming schemes so that everyone can be financially supported as they protect the planet while producing food more sustainably.

Environmental Land Management

Six additional standards will be added to the Sustainable Farming Incentive this year, meaning farmers can receive payment for actions on hedgerows, grassland, arable and horticultural land, pest management and nutrient management. They build on the three existing standards to improve soil health and moorlands introduced in 2022 – which nearly 1,900 farmers already have in agreements.

The Government has also detailed what farmers will be paid to deliver through an enhanced version of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, which will see around 30 additional actions available to farmers by the end of 2024. The expansion builds on the more than 250 actions farmers can take at present with the scheme seeing a 94% increase in uptake since 2020 and is now part of thousands of farm businesses. The next round of Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier will open in February, with Mid-Tier following in March.

Countryside Stewardship Plus will reward farmers for taking coordinated action, working with neighbouring farms and landowners to support climate and nature aims. It will deliver the same high environmental ambition previously planned for Local Nature Recovery, including managing floodplain meadows to reduce flood risk and improve biodiversity, restoring and maintaining peatland for carbon capture and storage, and enhancing and managing woodland to mitigate against drought and enhance its resilience to climate change.

The scheme will also be improved so farmers benefit from greater flexibility over when they can apply and how they manage their agreements, with improved access for tenant farmers and increased access to Higher Tier options and agreements.

Elsewhere, following high demand last year, Defra has confirmed it will open applications for the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme in the spring to support ambitious large-scale nature recovery projects, focusing on net zero, protected sites and habitat creation. This could include projects creating and enhancing woodlands, peatland, nature reserves and protected sites such as ancient woodlands, wetlands and salt marshes.

They involve groups of land managers and tenant farmers, working together to deliver a range of environmental benefits across farmed and rural landscapes. 22 projects began last year aiming to restore nearly 700km of rivers and protect and enhance 263 species.

Today’s announcement provides clarity and certainty to farmers, allowing them to make business decisions and cover costs as direct payments are phased out whilst getting involved in Environmental Land Management schemes. The plans also deliver on the assurances provided by the Farming Minister earlier this month, during a speech at the Oxford Farming Conference announcing increased payment rates.

Further details on the new standards and payment rates being rolled for the Sustainable Farming Incentive as well as information on the future roll out of Countryside Stewardship Plus from 2024 is available on gov.uk.

Straightforward applications

The Sustainable Farming Incentive has been made as straightforward as possible to apply online for with farmers giving positive feedback over the simplicity and speed of the application.

The 2023 offer has been made as flexible and accessible as possible to enable farmers to get started in the scheme and start to deliver the outcomes for their business and the environment. These improvements are based on learnings from extensive pilots and feedback to make it simpler, clearer and more workable for farmers.

Over time, it will continue to evolve so that it supports and incentivises farmers to deliver the right combinations of actions, at the right scale, in the right places and in a joined-up way with their neighbours. This will be essential for us to make the required progress towards our environment and climate targets alongside food production.

Harry Baker Cresswell, an agent working with two arable farmers from Northumberland, said:

I work with two holdings which are part of the SFI pilot, neither of which were in existing schemes.

The application and payment experiences have been good to date, and the objectives of SFI for arable land have been clearly set out.

SFI is different to previous Environmental Stewardships models in that the option-requirements are much less prescriptive. This is welcome, but does require a little steering to ensure objectives are met – something that Defra has recognised with its SFI Management Payment.

This is a real step forward in the journey towards enthusing widespread participation in the ELM schemes.

Kitty Hamilton, a mixed farmer from East Lincolnshire, said:

The big positive of the SFI pilot is the flexibility, which we really like. We were able to retain habitats from previous schemes which we were really proud of. The pilot fits well with our current and planned farming methods, which means it’s gently nudging us towards a more regenerative system.

The fact that we can layer the standards, and use all of the land on the estate, means that we can generate a good income. Generally I’ve enjoyed engaging with the learning activities, helping us to upskill professionally and personally within our organisation.

Robin Milton, a livestock farmer from Exmoor, said:

We’ve been on three standards to give the SFI pilot a trial run because we felt it would benefit our business.

The application process was straight-forward and, although the guidance was lengthy, I learned quite a bit and we ended up doing more than we needed to – which isn’t a bad thing.

Taken together the Environmental Land Management schemes mean there is something on offer for every type of farmer.

For tenant farmers there is range of actions relevant to their holding, especially through the Sustainable Farming Incentive which has been designed with them in mind. Shorter three-year agreements have been introduced with no landlord consent required meaning the risk of entering an environmental scheme has been reduced considerably. There are also no penalties in the event a farmer leaves the scheme early.

Upland farmers can be paid for actions on moorland, grassland and upland peat with over 100 actions in all schemes applicable to them.  From this year, farmers in existing Higher Level Stewardship agreements will be able to expand their activities and increase their payments by having a Countryside Stewardship agreement as well.

The 2019 manifesto commitment maintains the annual farming budget of £2.4 billion until the end of this Parliament, with all reductions from farmers’ direct payments reinvested back into the sector. All three Environmental Land Management schemes are accessible to farmers with the budget managed flexibly so that we can achieve the best value for money and deliver the intended outcomes in ways that best suit farmers and land managers.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 23 January 2023.

National sugar beet crop could face serious losses due to risk from aphids – more than 50% of UK sugar comes from domestic production.

Defra has approved an emergency temporary authorisation for the use of a neonicotinoid pesticide treatment on this year’s sugar beet crop due to the risk to the crop from yellows viruses.

Emerging sugar beet seedlings are vulnerable to predation from aphids that have the potential to spread beet yellows virus, which can severely affect sugar beet yield and quality.  In 2020, 25% of the national sugar beet crop was lost, costing £67m of total economic loss across an industry that creates nearly 10,000 jobs.

Defra has attached strict conditions to the emergency authorisation including only allowing for application if independent modelling predicts a virus incidence of 63% or above. If the virus threshold is not met, then the neonicotinoid treated seed will not be used.

If the threshold is met and limited use is allowed, then further strict conditions will be applied to minimise risks to the environment. This includes a maximum number of seeds planted per hectare and restrictions on farmers planting flowering crops in subsequent years in any field where treated seed has been used.  This is to allow time for the chemical to break down.

Emergency authorisations for pesticides are only granted for a short period of time,  in special circumstances where it is necessary because of a danger that cannot be contained by any other reasonable means, and the use is limited and controlled.  Other pesticide and organic treatments are not sufficiently effective in controlling  the virus

The overall ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides remains in place.

Farming Minister Mark Spencer said:

We recognise the potential danger of an outbreak of the beet yellows virus on the nation’s sugar beet crop and the impact it could have on the production of UK sugar.  Therefore after careful consideration, we regard issuing an emergency authorisation as a necessary measure to protect the industry.

The product can only be used if a strict threshold is met and on a single non-flowering crop. This decision has not been taken lightly and is based on extensive and rigorous scientific assessment.

The Farming Minister considered advice on this application from the Health and Safety Executive, the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides and Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 20 January 2023.

The panel of independent experts set up to assess the cause of dead and dying crabs washed up on shores from October 2021 have today (Friday 20 January) published their findings.

The panel, made up of experts from academia and industry, was chaired by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser Gideon Henderson with input from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

They investigated a number of possible causes for the unusual crab deaths which started in October 2021 including a potential disease or parasite, a harmful algal bloom, chemical toxicity including pyridine, and dredging which could have released a toxic chemical. Each of these potential causes was assessed according to the likelihood of the occurrence.

The key observations that must be explained by any cause include: Mortality over a sustained period and along at least 70km of coastline; the unusual twitching by dying crabs observed in many locations; and the deaths being dominantly crustaceans rather than a wider range of species.

The panel concluded:

• It is about as likely as not that a pathogen new to UK waters – a potential disease or parasite – caused the unusual crab mortality. There are pathogens known to cause similar symptoms to those observed in the north-east and these pathogens have caused mortality events and declines in crustacean populations around the world. No significant pathogens were identified in the north-east crabs but full molecular screening was not conducted at the time of the initial investigation.
• It is unlikely that a harmful algal bloom or that a loss of oxygen in the water associated with the algal bloom caused the crab deaths. The panel assessed satellite data and water-column measurements and concluded that the presence of an algal bloom in the area during September 2021 was likely but it was unlikely that the bloom persisted beyond October 2021.
• It is very unlikely that pyridine or another toxic pollutant caused the crab deaths. The panel considered industries on Teesside and concluded they could not be sources of any significant volume of pyridine during the period of the crab deaths. Measurements of seawater by the Environment Agency and York University could not detect pyridine. Sediment measures of pyridine from dredged material and other toxic chemicals found in sediments in the Tees are significantly lower than the levels which would cause crab mortality.
• It is very unlikely that maintenance dredging, as required to keep the port open, was the cause; a dredger operated in the channel offshore Teesside during late September and early October 2021 but the maximum possible release of toxic chemicals, including of pyridine, caused by this activity is significantly too small to cause crab mortality.
• Capital dredging (i.e. as required to expand the port) was last carried out in December 2020, some time before deaths started in October 2021. Further capital dredging did not commence until September 2022. It is therefore exceptionally unlikely that capital dredging on the Tees caused the crab mortality seen in the region.

Although there is no direct evidence of a novel pathogen – a disease or parasite – it would explain the key observations including mortality over a sustained period and along 70km of coastline, the unusual twitching of dying crabs and the deaths being predominantly crabs rather than other species..

It is also possible that a combination of factors lead to the unusual mortality, rather than one of the factors the panel considered.

Sir Patrick Vallance, Government Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

I would like to thank the scientists who have been involved in the expert assessment of this unusual crustacean mortality. For a complex issue like this it is important to have a range of experts involved who can offer independent challenge and analysis.

Whilst with the current data there cannot be a definitive answer, the options for possible causes and an analyses of likelihood are clearly laid out in the report.

Gideon Henderson, Defra Chief Scientific Adviser, said:

The report summarises thorough and insightful analysis of diverse relevant data by an impressive group of leading marine scientists from across the UK. Their combined knowledge allowed expert assessment of all possible causes of the unusual crustacean mortality.

The panel was unable to identify a single clear cause, but it has been able to point to those more likely to explain the key features of the outbreak.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey asked Defra’s Chief Scientific Advisor Gideon Henderson to liaise with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance to establish an independent group, following a request from the Environment, Farming & Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee. The Crustacean Mortality Expert Panel (CMEP) was convened from December 2022 to independently assess the causes of the unusual deaths.

The panel was established with experts from academia and industry with a range of knowledge and experience.

The full report is available here.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 January 2023.

A range of polluting single-use plastics will be banned in England, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has announced today.

The ban will include single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers. This ban will be introduced from October 2023, allowing businesses time to prepare.

According to estimates, England uses 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery — most of which are plastic — and 721 million single-use plates per year, but only 10% are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up they would go round the world over eight and a half times (based on a 15cm piece of cutlery).

From October, people won’t be able to buy these products from any business – this includes retailers, takeaways, food vendors and the hospitality industry. Over 95% of those who responded to our consultation were in favour of the bans, the Government’s response, published today (Saturday 14 January 2022), reveals.

Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage to our oceans, rivers and land. It is also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, from the production and manufacture of the plastic itself to the way it is disposed.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:

We all know the absolutely devastating impacts that plastic can have on our environment and wildlife. We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations.

I am proud of our efforts in this area: we have banned microbeads, restricted the use of straws, stirrers and cotton buds and our carrier bag charge has successfully cut sales by over 97% in the main supermarkets.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Plastic is a scourge which blights our streets and beautiful countryside and I am determined that we shift away from a single-use culture.

By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. We will also be pressing ahead with our ambitious plans for a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and consistent recycling collections in England.

It is expected that banning these items will have a significant impact in reducing plastic waste and littering in England. Plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country by count in 2020.

Previous bans, such as banning straws, stirrers and cotton buds, have reduced the damage from these plastics. Before we banned these products, it was estimated straws, stirrers and cotton buds collectively contributed to around 5.7% of marine litter. After our ban, the Great British Beach Clean 2021 reported cotton bud sticks had moved out of the UK’s top ten most common beach litter items.

The Government is also carefully considering further measures around other commonly littered and problematic plastic items, including wet wipes, tobacco filters and sachets, following the call for evidence on this issue.

Future steps that could be explored include banning plastic in these items, and mandatory labelling on packaging to help consumers dispose of these items correctly. A new research project will also look into the impact of wet wipes on blockages in the sewage system, and will inform any future policy actions.

The ban will not apply to plates, trays, and bowls that are used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items, as these will be included in our plans for an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme – which will incentivise producers to use packaging that can be recycled and meet higher recycling targets. For example, this would include pre-packaged salad bowls and bowls filled with food at the counter of a takeaway.

Matt Hood, Co-op Food MD said:

We have been at the forefront of eradicating unnecessary plastic, so it is encouraging to see this ban being introduced and we have already removed plastic cutlery from our food to go, offering wooden forks instead. We were the first retailer to ensure all of our own brand food and drink packaging is 100% recyclable through our in store soft plastic recycling scheme, with all the soft plastics returned being processed in the UK.

I welcome today’s announcement, and believe we must all continue to work together if we are to combat the climate emergency, and have an environment we are proud to pass on to future generations.

Richard Swannell, interim CEO of WRAP, said:

We are in full support of this announcement by Defra, which marks important progress in the wholesale removal of problematic and unnecessary plastics that can end up as plastic pollution. WRAP is working with UK businesses to meet ambitious targets in this important area, and our latest results show an 84% reduction in problematic and unnecessary single use plastics by our UK Plastics Pact members since 2018.

We’re delighted to see these efforts being backed up by regulation, which will accelerate efforts to keep plastic out of the environment.

These plans build on our previous efforts to eliminate avoidable plastic waste, including:

• One of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products announced in 2018
• Restrictions on the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds in 2020.
• Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022 – a tax of £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in, or imported into the UK, that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.

Following the huge success of the 5p single-use carrier bag charge, in May 2021 we also increased the minimum charge to 10p and extended it to all retailers, taking billions of bags out of circulation.

Through the Environment Act, the Government is bringing in further measures to tackle plastic pollution and litter. This includes a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers to recycle billions more plastic bottles and stop them being landfilled, incinerated, or littered via a small deposit on drinks products to incentivise people to recycle, and plans for Consistent Recycling Collections for every household and business in England.

Plastic pollution is a global issue and we are committed to working with international partners to tackle it. As such, the UK was proud to support the ambitious resolution at the United Nations Environment Assembly that kickstarted negotiations for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13 January 2023.

Woodlands worth over £400m million annually in protecting communities from flooding, new research reveals.

Trees and woodlands have long been known to play a vital role in flood resilience, but scientists are now able to establish the financial contribution they make in protecting communities from flooding.

New research published today (Friday 13th January) by Forest Research estimates Great Britain’s trees contribute over £400m annually in benefits. The flood regulation service of Great Britain’s trees, forests and woodlands as an annualised central estimate gave annual values of £843 million and £420 million compared to bare soil and grass, respectively. The valuation is based on the role trees, woodlands and forests play in intercepting rainfall, storing water and reducing the potentially devastating surface runoff that causes flooding. Given the increased likelihood and frequency of extreme weather events as a result of climate change, the report highlights how woodland expansion can be a natural, cost-effective method of protecting homes and businesses – now and for the future.

The government is investing a record £5.2 billion over six years in around 2,000 flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England, with one in six properties at risk of flooding.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Communities across the country know all too well the potentially devastating impacts of flooding – from damage to homes and businesses and the disruption of critical infrastructure to the tragic loss of life.

This report provides the best picture yet of the integral role that our trees, woodlands and forests play in protecting at-risk communities from flooding. With more severe weather events forecast in the future, there is even more incentive to accelerate our tree planting efforts in line with our ambitious target to treble planting rates in England.

Forestry Commission Chief Executive, Richard Stanford said:

We know nature-based solutions have an important role to play in reducing flood risk in an affordable way with multiple benefits beyond flood alleviation. This ground breaking research underscores the significant contribution our trees, woodlands and forests make in reducing peak water flows following heavy rainfall – helping to protect homes, businesses and livelihoods nationwide from the disastrous impacts of flooding.

From the trees lining our streets to the expanse of woodlands and forests across our countryside, the environmental, economic and social value of our treescapes has never been clearer. It is important we manage the trees we have and expand all types of tree cover.

Environment Agency Chief Executive, Sir James Bevan said:

The warning signs of the climate crisis are stark and mounting – with greater rainfall, higher tides and more violent weather bringing heightened risks of serious flooding over the years ahead. The hard flood defences which the Environment Agency builds and maintains all across the country are part of the solution. So too are Natural Flood Management techniques such as tree planting, which we are already using to slow the flow of water and help protect homes and businesses.

By harnessing the power of nature, we can tackle the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change – whilst simultaneously reducing the risk of flooding to vulnerable communities.

Pat Snowdon, Head of Economics and Woodland Carbon Code at Scottish Forestry, said:

Climate change is bringing many global challenges. Our weather patterns are changing and we can expect wetter winters and more intense rain in summer. This brings the very unwelcome risk of more flooding.

Woodlands have long been associated with an ability to reduce flooding. The latest models allow researchers to quantify how woodlands create a “sponge” effect, reducing rapid run-off that causes flooding. This research provides new data that fills a major evidence gap on the economic value of woodlands.

Forests help to reduce flooding in numerous ways, in what is referred to as a ‘sponge effect’. Firstly, evaporation from leaves and branches helps to reduce the amount of rainfall reaching the ground. This process, known as interception, is significantly greater for woodland compared to other land use types. Secondly, the soils within forests receive, store and delay water, helping to reduce rapid run-off and peak flows. Finally, the presence of trees, shrubs and large woody dams along rivers and on the floodplain creates a barrier effect that slows the passage of flood waters downstream, in addition to delivering biodiversity benefits.

As a result, tree planting can significantly affect the volume, pathway and timing of surface run-off, reducing the risk of downstream flooding. Responsible forestry management practices help to maintain and secure this key environmental service. Further guidance is available in the UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide: ‘Designing and managing forests and woodlands to reduce flood risk’.

The Environment Agency recently set out findings from its £15 million Natural Flood Management programme, which was carried out in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and other key partners. In Cumbria, a Natural Flood Management project trialled a variety of measures across different landscapes aiming to slow or store 10,000 cubic metres of water per square kilometre. The team worked with a range of landowners and the Forestry Commission to change overland flow routes, build earth dams and leaky barriers, plant 8,000 trees and create offline flood storage ponds. Across its 60 pilot projects, the Environment Agency’s programme created an equivalent of 1.6 million cubic metres of water storage and increased flood resilience to 15,000 homes, whilst improving 4,000 hectares of habitat, enhancing 610 kilometres of river and planting 100 hectares of woodland.

The report also estimates the Natural Capital Value of the flood regulation service provided by Great Britain’s trees in flood risk catchment areas to be up to £25.1 billion. This represents their value over the course of a century and provides a useful means of comparison to other natural assets.

Today’s announcement follows another recent Forest Research report which calculated the economic value of individual trees planted outside of forests and woodlands to be up to £3.8 billion. Announced as part of National Tree Week, the valuation is based on the important role that these trees play in sequestering and storing carbon, regulating temperatures, strengthening flood resilience and reducing noise and air pollution.

The study was led by Forest Research and jointly funded by the Forestry Commission, Scottish Forestry and the Welsh Government.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 January 2023.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has today confirmed that the five cases of vesicular disease in pigs identified in farms in England between June and September 2022 were Seneca Valley Virus (SVV).

The confirmation comes following an extensive investigation by the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Seneca Valley Virus only affects pigs for a short period with infected pigs making a full recovery. There is no risk to human health.

SVV is not a notifiable or reportable disease in the UK nor a listed disease by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH). However, the clinical signs however do resemble notifiable vesicular diseases, in particular Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Defra is therefore calling on pig producers and vets to continue to promptly report any clinical signs of vesicular disease in pigs so that APHA can carry out an official investigation.

High biosecurity standards should always be maintained. For pig keepers this means:

– Regular reviews of their biosecurity measures and address any weaknesses, minimising movements of vehicles, people or equipment onto pig units

– Controlling rodents, flies and as far as possible, wild birds

– Isolating incoming pigs away from the resident herd for at least one month

– Sourcing pig food or ingredients from reputable pig feed companies and never feeding kitchen or catering waste or meat to pigs

– Following the National Pig Association import protocol if importing live pigs

– To minimise the risk of disease introduction and keepers should inspect their pigs at least once a day, staying vigilant for lameness and vesicular (blister) foot or snout/mouth lesions. The advice applies to all pig keepers, no matter how many pigs they own.

Pig keepers and the public are also reminded that it is illegal to feed pigs meat or meat products, and kitchen or catering waste. Doing so endangers the health of the pigs and risks introducing exotic diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever, into the country.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 January 2023.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 January 2023.

A new action plan to protect plants from pests and diseases was published today (Monday 9 January) 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, consisting of an action plan to secure national biosecurity, protect native species and drive economic growth. It positions the UK as a global leader in plant biosecurity, setting out our vision to create a new biosecurity regime and bio-secure plant supply chain, which will safeguard food security and help mitigate the effects of climate change. It comes following updated figures which show that plants provide an annual value of £15.7 billion to the United Kingdom.

Specific actions include expanding the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Internet Trading Unit to step up monitoring of online retailers and social media sites for the trade of high-risk plant products, in order to stop potentially devastating pests and diseases from entering the country. Additionally, the strategy sets out how more than 30 signatories, including Defra, the Royal Horticultural Society, National Farmers Union and the Woodland Trust, will deliver an ambitious programme of behavioural change across society through the Public Engagement in Plant Health Accord. This one-of-a-kind collective commitment will kickstart a national conversation around biosecurity and promote the actions that the public can take to protect tree and plant health.

Lord Benyon, Minister for Biosecurity, said:

This landmark strategy sets out how we will protect Great Britain’s plants, with the government, industry and the public working together to tackle the risks posed by plant pests and diseases. In light of climate change, tackling these varied and mounting risks will be critical to maintaining our food security, as well as facilitating safe trade amidst a challenging economic backdrop.

Today’s announcement demonstrates this Government’s ironclad commitment to protecting and restoring our natural environment for future generations, as we deliver on our tree planting targets and ambition to achieve net zero.

Nicola Spence, UK Chief Plant Health Officer, said:

Plant pests and diseases know no borders. As the global trade in plants and plant products continues to grow, our precious ecosystems, native species and biosecurity are at risk. The resultant threats posed to our treescapes, food security and the global economy are all too real.

Therefore, I am proud to officially launch the Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain, which will deliver a step change in our plant health protections, actions and behaviours. This will position Great Britain as a global leader in plant biosecurity and set an example for the world to follow.

Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Rural Affairs, said:

The Plant Biosecurity Strategy emphasises our commitment to protect the health of our plants. Plants are the foundation of our ecosystems and provide life to the whole food chain. The strategy outlines what we will do, working with others, to further protect this vital resource.

Sara Lom, The Tree Council CEO, said:

The Tree Council was created nearly 50 years ago in response to Dutch elm disease and now leads activity into the devastating impacts of ash dieback. From first-hand experience, we know that effective biosecurity is vital in defence of Britain’s trees and plants.

We welcome the launch of the Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain and look forward to working with Defra and partners to protect our treescape.

The Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain will also set out how enhancements to the UK Plant Health Risk Register, which currently lists 1,200 pests and diseases of potential threat to our biosecurity, will improve our understanding of complex and cumulative risks to plant health. As part of this, an array of new plant health IT systems will bolster our outbreak preparedness and emergency response.

Incorporated into the strategy is a commitment to work with the UK Plant Health Alliance to develop a new five-year roadmap for the Plant Healthy certification scheme, which provides biosecurity certification to nurseries, businesses and charities operating in the horticultural sector. RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Yorkshire has become the first public garden in England to be certified as Plant Healthy, in recognition of its work to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests, diseases and invasive species and promote good plant health.

The strategy also emphasises the collective role and responsibilities we all have in upholding high standards of biosecurity — for example, the importance of not bringing home plants, trees, fruit and seeds from overseas, as doing so could inadvertently cause pests, diseases and invasive species to be introduced or to spread in new areas. This aligns with the UK Government’s long-running ‘Don’t Risk It!’ campaign, which featured on the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Gold Medal-winning stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.

The strategy builds on the work achieved under the previous 2014 strategy as well as the consultation launched in September 2021 by Defra, the Forestry Commission, the governments of Scotland and Wales, and our agencies and delivery partners. It follows the convening of the world’s first International Plant Health Conference in London last year, which brought together 500 policymakers, academics and experts from over 74 countries to address current and future plant health challenges.

Today’s announcement comes ahead of the publication of the GB Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Strategy in early 2023. This will set out coordinated actions across society to prevent the arrival of new INNS and tackle the impacts of those established – securing our biosecurity and minimising their environmental and economic impacts.

The Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain (2023 to 2028) is available here.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 6 January 2023.

Invasive species are recognised as one of the greatest threats to marine biodiversity worldwide, second only to habitat loss, and cost the UK economy £120 million a year.

But the threat to UK waters could be reduced as pioneering research led by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and funded by Defra sheds new light on invasive species ‘hitchhiking’ across the sea on floating marine debris, such as plastics. In some cases, certain species are thought to have travelled from as far as the east coast of America, thousands of miles away.

By adapting a computer model originally designed to predict the distribution of oil following an oil spill, Cefas scientists were able to uncover the origin of floating marine debris and track how invasive species enter UK waters.

There are 39 recorded marine non-native species, including the Slipper Limpet and Signal Crayfish, considered as harmful to UK native marine biodiversity. It is hoped this advanced modelling technique will enable the UK and countries worldwide to more accurately track the movements of debris and pave the way for an early warning system to prevent and respond to emerging threats from non-native species.

With 80% of marine debris made up of marine plastics, and over 800 million tonnes of plastic ending up in our oceans each year, this research reiterates the importance of tackling global plastic pollution, supporting calls from Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey at the UN Conference of Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 last year for greater ambition and support to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.

International Marine Minister Lord Benyon said:

This research sheds light on a lesser-known consequence of plastics and litter entering our ocean, with floating debris threatening valuable marine biodiversity by transporting invasive, non-native species into the UK.

It underlines the importance of global action that impacts our marine life and the UK is at the forefront of these efforts, mostly recently in championing calls to end plastic pollution by 2040.

In this first of a series of leading research papers, Cefas scientists used a large piece of marine debris collected off the southwest coast of the UK to identify animals, including goose barnacles, hitchhiking their way into UK waters from sub-tropical and tropical waters generally below 40 degrees latitude.

Using the date the piece of debris was found and growth rates of the animals attached to the debris, scientists were able to calculate the time the debris had travelled through the ocean and ‘back-track’ its journey and likely origin. This has enabled the identification of ‘hot spot zones’ along the south west coast (where many of these species from the tropics make first landfall) containing a high concentration of marine debris that can pose a greater risk of transportation of invasive, non-native species.

Dr. Peter Barry, Marine Ecology Scientist at Cefas and lead author of the report said:

While this type of hitchhiking movement has been identified among various species and regions before, there is still a lot we don’t know about how invasive species enter our waters. A real challenge for scientists has been to identify where the hitchhikers have come from. This model allows us to retrace their journey to understand where and how an invasion pathway is operating”.

Although not all non-native species entering the UK will become established, those that do can be incredibly harmful for the environment. With the increase in marine litter in our seas, it’s important for us to understand how these species are being transported, and to identify areas most at risk to help prevent their spread.

Cefas will now research how invasive species can be transported on other marine debris such as seafloor litter, complementing work taking place internationally to better understand the sources of marine debris and how these enable invasive species to spread.

The UK continues to be a leading voice in tackling marine plastic pollution, co-sponsoring the proposal to prepare a new international, legally binding plastics treaty and is a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of 50 countries calling for a target under the treaty to stop plastic from flowing into our lands and ocean by 2040.

The UK took an ambitious stance at the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC1) in November last year, pushing for a treaty that will restrain the production and consumption of plastic to sustainable levels, address plastic design, and encourage more recycling and re-use of plastic.

In December last year, the Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey attended the UN Conference of Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 in Montreal where she called for greater ambition and urged more countries to join the more than 120 nations who already support the pledge to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030.