Policy paper

Tree health and plant biosecurity expert taskforce: Interim report

Interim report ensuring Defra has access to the current and robust evidence to inform decisions on dealing with tree and plant disease.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Documents

Interim Report - Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce

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Details

The Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Expert Taskforce is an independent group, drawn from key members of the academic community. It brings a multi-disciplinary perspective to ensure Defra has access to the most up-to-date and robust evidence to inform decisions on dealing with tree and plant disease.

A final report on its strategic view of the evidence addressing all of its aims will be produced in Spring 2013.

Its recommendations are: 

  • Develop a prioritised UK Risk Register for tree health and plant biosecurity
  • Strengthen biosecurity to reduce risks at the border and within the UK
  • Appoint a Chief Plant Health Officer to own the UK Risk Register and provide strategic and tactical leadership for managing those risks
  • Review, simplify and strengthen governance and legislation
  • Maximise the use of epidemiological intelligence from EU/other regions and work to improve the EU regulations concerned with tree and plant biosecurity
  • Develop and implement procedures for preparedness and contingency planning to predict, monitor and control the spread of disease
  • Develop a modern, user-friendly, expert system to provide quick and intelligent access to data about tree health and plant biosecurity
  • Identify and address key skills shortages

Further information

Published 30 November 2012
Last updated 19 April 2013 + show all updates
  1. Changed pub date to 30 Nov 2012

  2. First published.