HC Deb 09 February 2004 vol 417 cc1153-6W
Mr. Paterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure that plant and timber imports are free from sudden oak death. [149113]

Mr. Bradshaw

The Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1320, as amended) sets out the controls on the import, movement and keeping of plants within the EU. The Order requires all plants entering the UK from third countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and are subject to inspection at import. For trade within the EU, specific disease control measures are applied at the place of production and plant passports may be issued that travel with consignments allowing their free movement between member states. From May 2002 measures to control the movement of plants susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum into and within the UK where introduced under the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) Order 2002. Following the agreement of community wide measures this Order was superseded in November 2002, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2573). The latter applied specific disease control measures at the place of production to rhododendrons and viburnums, the two types of plant which have been most often found to be infected in Europe.

Findings of Phytophthora ramorum in imported and UK origin plants are of concern and inspections at UK nurseries and ports of entry are to be stepped up to ensure that all consignments of plants moved into and within the UK are free from Phytophthora ramorum and meet plant passport requirements. Any consignment found to be infected, or not to have the correct documentation, will, as now, be destroyed.

The regulations controlling imports of wood and wood products are set out in the Plant Health (Forestry) (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1283, as amended). These require that imports of wood of oak from North American countries are treated to protect against, in particular, another fungal organism Ceratocystis fagacearum, the cause of Oak wilt disease. The Forestry Commission concluded that these controls are effective against Phytophthora ramorum but that they needed to be extended to bring under regulation wood from other trees that are known to host this pathogen and which originate in the USA. The Forestry Commissioners therefore implemented emergency measures in June 2002 by way of the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (Great Britain) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 1478). This Order was superseded in November 2002, to implement the European Community measures against Phytophthora ramorum, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (Great Britain) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2589).

The Forestry Commission enforces the controls on wood and wood products through its system of import inspections carried out at ports of entry.

Andrew George

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a) businesses, (b) landowners and (c) others have had all or some of their plant or tree stocks destroyed as a result of an outbreak of sudden oak death in the last two years. [151952]

Mr. Bradshaw

To categorise businesses, landowners and others would be misleading as there may be a cross over in some areas. For example a private landowner may also open their property to the public as a business. In the last two years, there have been 302 outbreak premises in England and Wales, 263 at nurseries and other retail outlets and 39 at established gardens, woods and other wild planting areas. All those on whom notices have been served have destroyed infected material. Others have done so voluntarily.

Andrew George

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many claims, and of what total value, her Department has received for compensation for outbreaks of sudden oak death from(a) commercial nurseries, (b) landowners and (c) others in each of the last 24 months for which records are available; [151953];

(2) how many claims for compensation for sudden oak death have been settled; and what payments have been made during the last two years. [151954]

Mr. Bradshaw

Only one claim for compensation as been received in respect of destroyed stock following the finding of "Phytophthora ramorum" at a commercial nursery. We are unable to disclose precise details of this claim for legal reasons, but we can confirm this claim is still under consideration. Plant disease campaigns over many years have not incorporated compensation for the destruction of affected plants. Our position has been that the limited resources of the plant health service are better deployed in detecting and identifying outbreaks, and in carrying out research on risks and risk management measures. However, we have recently received an approach from industry organisations wishing to discuss possible risk-sharing mechanisms to avoid disproportionate losses to individual enterprises when action has to be taken against plant pests or diseases. We welcome this opportunity to explore the available options. The outcome of these ongoing discussions could have an effect on any individual claims we receive.

Andrew George

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what(a) staff and (b) resources of (i) the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate and (ii) other departmental bodies are deployed to detect and control outbreaks of sudden oak death in the UK. [151955]

Mr. Bradshaw

Defra's 75 Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors are already employed for about 20 per cent. of their time on inspection and surveillance duties related to Phytophthora ramorum, known in the USA as sudden oak death. Therefore, although there is no specific budget allocation, this amounts to an expenditure of approximately £1.8 million in 2003–04.

In response to the growing number of findings of this pathogen in England and Wales, Defra is redeploying around 20 additional staff to assist the Inspectorate in undertaking extra inspections at production nurseries, wild areas and ports of entry. They will be supplemented by the recruitment of six additional full-time Inspectors for 2004–2005. This is part of a package of measures announced on 4 December.

Defra is also funding a substantial increase in sample diagnoses undertaken by the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), an executive agency of Defra, which is estimated to cost in excess of £750,000 to the end of 2004–2005. CSL is also involved in ongoing research into "Phytophthora ramorum" to the value of £370,000.

The Forestry Commission (FC) has redirected about 23 staff onto a woodland survey in England and Wales, to be completed by April 2004, which will help us to assess whether Phytophthora ramorum is present in the wider environment. FC will be contributing £50,000 to CSL to fund diagnostics in support of this survey. Resources have also been redirected within the Forest Research Agency (FRA) into projects designed to help us better understand the disease. From January 2004 FRA is responsible for the co-ordination of an EU funded research project on "P. ramorum".

In the devolved administrations the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) 5 Plant Health Inspectors already spend approximately 20–25 per cent. of their time on "Phytophthora ramorum" inspection and sampling duties. From January 2004 this team has been brought up to complement with a newly trained inspector. Although there is no specific budget dedicated to Phytophthora ramorum inspections, the total amount to an expenditure for 2003–04 is approximately £90,000.

Seven Forestry Officers have been trained and, from January 2004, are spending approximately 10 per cent. of their time on Phytopthora. ramorum inspection and sampling work, primarily on DARD Forestry Service and private woodland sites with a budget of approximately £65,000. In addition, a Principal Scientific Officer is spending approximately 25 per cent. of his time in analysing samples for "P. ramorum". The budget for this work is approximately £50,000.

For 2003–04 the number of Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department staff spending part of their time on detection and control of "Phytophthora ramorum" is seven, including one scientific officer. The total management plan resource employed in this work for 2003–04, to date, is £37,626.

Andrew George

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measures her Department has taken to ensure that plants and seeds infected with sudden oak death are not imported into the UK. [151956]

Mr. Bradshaw

The Plant Health (Great Britain) Order 1993 (SI 1993/1320, as amended) sets out the controls on the import, movement and keeping of plants within the EU. The Order requires all plants entering the UK from third countries to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate and are subject to inspection at import. For trade within the EU, specific disease control measures are applied at the place of production and plant passports may be issued that travel with consignments allowing their free movement between member states. From May 2002 measures to control the movement of plants susceptible to Phytophthora ramorum into and within the UK where introduced under the Plant Health "(Phytophthora ramorum)" (England) Order 2002. Following the agreement of community wide measures this Order was superseded in November 2002, by the Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002 No. 2573). The latter applied specific disease control measures at the place of production to rhododendrons and viburnums, the two types of plant which have been most often found to be infected in Europe.

Findings of "Phytophthora ramorum" in imported and UK origin plants are of concern and inspections at UK nurseries and ports of entry are to be stepped up to ensure that all consignments of plants moved into and within the UK are free from Phytophthora ramorum and meet plant passport requirements. Any consignment found to be infected, or not to have the correct documentation, will, as now, be destroyed.