With Britain’s appetite for live plant imports reaching a record high – up 71 per cent since 1999, and worth more than £758 million in 2022 – our island ecosystem has never been more vulnerable to pests and diseases from overseas. To help counter the threat, new biosecurity border controls were due to be introduced on 30 April as part of the Government’s five-year Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain, which launched in January last year.
Without strict measures in place, the impact on Britain’s biodiversity and the financial implications for the horticultural and gardening industries could be devastating. “Since 1990, more than 20 serious tree pests and diseases have been introduced, which are wreaking havoc on our wildlife populations and stripping our landscape of trees,” says Dr Richard Benwell, CEO of campaign group, Wildlife & Countryside Link. “An estimated 42 new invasive species will establish in the UK by 2040 without government action. This could cost our economy around £3.4 billion.”
Of growing concern is Xylella fastidiosa, a bacterium spread by sap-sucking insects. More than 600 plant species could be impacted, among them lavender, rosemary, hebe (Veronica spp), fig, almond and cherry trees. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), an outbreak in the UK would lead to widespread destruction of plants and trees, the restriction of horticultural trade and an increased use of pesticides to control the insects that spread the disease. In Italy it is estimated that the impact of Xylella on olive trees has amounted to a €390 million loss over the past three years. over 3m in height, and some wood and wood products. More information is also available on Defra’s Plant Health Portal (bit.ly/plant-health-portal), including how to report a pest or disease, factsheets on key risks, and how to navigate post-Brexit biosecurity border controls.