23
THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • MARCH 2017
“I expect theUKwill not have it easy - it will be a challenge to
get a good quota. It appears TheresaMay believes limiting the
influx of migrants ismore important than trade agreements.”
Hewent on to ask - can theUK dowithout Europe? “My
opinion is that it can’t. TheUK customer demands product
not produced in theUK.”
On amore positive note he said new forms of free tradewould
certainly come about. “Europe can’t dowithout theUK and
vice versa. To give your own product a boost it needs to be
better and cheaper than Europe.
Looking to the future he said the industry needed to implement
new technologies and innovations. “We need strong
companies, development capital and creativity,” he said. “After
Brexit, theUK cannot rely on Europeanmoney.
“The EU promotes efficiency and innovation. Post Brexit the
UKwill have to get bywithout Europe. Will theUK government
support the industry?
“European sentiment is that if UKwants out, let them get out.
This is not good for our industry aswe depend on each other.
25% of Dutch hardy nursery production is exported to theUK
and 40% toGermany - it ismy opinion therewill be a trade
agreement between theUK andEurope. UK growerswill have
to roll up their sleeves – theywill be a small sector on their
own,” hewarned.
“2017will be a year of great uncertainty for UK growers as
post Brexit trading relationships begin to be shaped.
“If Europe falls apart it will be everybody on their own. Maybe
wewill end upwith aWesternCommonMarket -made up of
theNetherlands, Germany and France.”
UKPlant Health –
Challenges & opportunities
NicolaSpence, Chief Plant HealthOfficer andDeputy Defra
Director, said current Plant Health policywas driven by Ash
dieback - Chalara. “The programme is protecting plants and
maximizing value byminimising impact of pests - enabling
business to thrive,” she said. “We are helping to underpin
businesses byworking together.”
Professor Spence explained that pre-border activities look to
identify new threats and stop them. Risk analysis is carried
out using horizon scanning - identifying and assessing
risk. “If a problem is detected, we need the right regulatory
framework –surveillance, monitoring, control, eradication and
containment,” she said.
Launched three years ago, theUKPlant HealthRisk Register
lists 950 threatswith 5-10 new ones addedmonthly –
prioritising is vital.
/
riskRegister/
Recent interceptions have includedRedPalmWeevil in Essex
andSweet Chestnut Blight inKent. Ash, Sweet Chestnut and
Oak are at particular riskwhileSirococcus tsugae is a new
threat toCedar.
Shewarned growers that other sectors present amassive
risk to them - for example imports in non-compliant wooden
packaging. “We areworkingwith the construction industry
to identify pathways for pests, such as LonghornBeetle, to
enter theUK,” she said. “We need to raise awareness in other
sectors –make people aware of their obligations.”
She urged growers to look at what they are importing and
where from, aswell as supplier practices, and said the newEU
Plant HealthRegulationswould be implemented regardless of
Brexit. “We’ve learnt a lot of lessons. We have a country plan
for plant health and howwe proceedwith another emergency.
All high-risk threats have pest specific plans to get on top of
things quickly. However, it is still very challengingwithmultiple
incursions.”
Raoul Curtis-Machin, theHTA lead on government lobbying
andpolicy activity, said it was up to the industry to raise
knowledge and standards and bemore accountable. “This
needs to happen through thewhole supply chain,” he said. “It
is up to us as an industry to do the best we can – to go one
step further.”
One company taking responsibility for its own biosecurity and
plant health is BoningaleNurseries. Nerys Arch, Boningale
propagation and environment manager, explained the
impressive prototype plant healthmanagement system. She
told delegates that while improving standards on the nursery, it
was helping the teamwork in partnershipwith the plant health
inspectorate.
While almost a fully fledged system, Raoul Curtis-Machin said
therewas a lot of work to do before it could be rolled out as
every nursery is different. “We aremoving in to the pilot phase
to seewhich elements could translate to other nurseries – this
is not one size fits all,” he said. “As an industrywe can’t sit and
do nothing. Love it, or hate it, Brexit is amajor opportunity to
boost production – but it has got to be biosecure.”
HTACONFERENCE •
Geoff Caesar,mdof theBransfordWebbsPlant
Company.
