HL Deb 06 June 1985 vol 464 cc844-5

3.15 p.m.

Baroness Elliot of Harwood

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what precautions are being taken to prevent the spread of plant diseases through the importation of foreign plants, fruit and vegetables into the United Kingdom.

The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Belstead)

My Lords, we have a very strict defence system against plant pests and diseases on commercial consignments. Imports of plants, potatoes and certain cut flowers, seeds, fruits and vegetables are prohibited unless a plant health certificate is supplied by the exporting country confirming that our health conditions have been met. Inspectors carry out checks at ports, markets, farms and nurseries to ensure that imported material is not infected. We are at present running two special plant health publicity campaigns.

Baroness Elliot of Harwood

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that splendid Answer. I hope that the measures taken have had the effect which he expected; namely, that there has been a big decrease in infections present in plants that have entered this country.

Lord Belstead

My Lords, the number of plant health inspectors in England has gone up, and there is a good deal of work going on in Scotland and in Northern Ireland on plant health inspection, but it is the fact that we still find that diseases come in from time to time. I think the one word that one must remember is, "vigilance".

Lord Renton

My Lords, is my noble friend aware that there are some seeds which get into grain imported into this country, being the seeds of weeds which are not native to this country, which are very noxious when they arrive? Will they be included in the studies that are being made?

Lord Belstead

My. Lords, if the particular grain seeds in which the grass seeds are lodged are among those mentioned in the European Community plant health directive, then, of course, they will need to have accompanying them a certificate from the country of origin; otherwise, if, later, my noble friend would like to give me details of the particular grain seeds that he has in mind, I shall be able to give him an answer.

Lord Mackie of Benshie

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that the prospect of all sorts of pests coming in by air makes it very much more difficult? And is he satisfied that there are enough health inspectors at airports to deal with the conditions resulting from the speed of air travel?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, I agree very much with the noble Lord, who has put his finger on the problems created by the swiftness of travel today compared with a hundred years ago, when people used to bring interesting material back from abroad. At that time it was very likely the pests which accompanied that material would die in transit. This is not the case today. It is for this reason that on 29th April we launched a special campaign for a new set of posters to be put up in all public places and also to be slipped into material being used by travel agents, which we hope will be a warning to private travellers about this problem.

In answer to the noble Lord's second supplementary, yes, I believe that the increase in the number of plant health inspectors which took place in 1980 from 75 to 86 in England, accompanied by 74 man-years in Scotland and 42 man-years in Northern Ireland, is sufficient to deal with this matter, including at airports.

Lord Inglewood

My Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether the inspectors of the Ministry of Agriculture are in a position to give attention to the import of seeds and plants known as cannabis?

Lord Belstead

My Lords, I think that we are on a rather different point there.