Last week, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine launched a new plant health biosecurity strategy for the plant-based sector for 2020 to 2025. This is partly in recognition of the importance of plants for global food production, which is put at over 80% of all the food we eat, plus the growing concern as to how pest issues will evolve in the face of increasing temperatures and climate change.

In this regard, we must realise that the plant kingdom is large and has a presence in many different aspects of our lives, from food to decoration to medicines and right through to timber.

The strategy mainly applies to the risk of new and invasive species of disease-causing organisms and pests

The strategy aims to protect the plant production capabilities of this island in the face of inevitable change.

There are three main elements to the new strategy, which are applicable across all plant production disciplines. However, some may only be relevant to individual crops at specific times. The strategy mainly applies to the risk of new and invasive species of disease-causing organisms and pests. There are three mains strands to the strategy:

  • Risk anticipation: This is about expecting what might appear, to be prepared for where it might be found and what could/should be done if such an organism appears.
  • Risk surveillance and management: This is about having the scientific capacity to find, identify and manage any incidence of a new undesirable. It is also about putting in place the appropriate co-ordinated response to an outbreak of any sort.
  • Risk awareness and communication:

    • This third strand is about sharing information and making people aware of the importance of plants for many aspects of human life.

    These general strategy objectives may seem academic for some. But for those who could fall foul of some of these potential problems, the issue is extremely serious. The strategy applies to potential new problems that are carried on plant material, which may be unwittingly carried by people or goods. Addressing the launch, James Choiseul, who is head of agricultural laboratories at DAFM, reminded us, not to “take for granted that which we have”.

    Risk anticipation

    This means being prepared for the potential arrival of new pests or diseases. It involves a lot of science, technique and knowledge to know what to look for and where to find it. The process complements our current surveillance systems and involves anticipating the risk associated with individual organisms for our climate. Perhaps most importantly, it requires the development of management strategies to control and eradicate a new problem, should it get onto the island.

    Risk surveillance and management

    This is about identifying and implementing structures for a robust plant health inspection system. It requires expertise to diagnose things that are found and then develop contingency plans to deal with different issues. This requires coordinated training for all stakeholders and on-going research with links into all relevant institutions.

    Risk awareness and communication

    This is new and requires a system that is highly integrated between sections in the Department and across other government departments. It needs to define stakeholder roles and responsibilities within the industry. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to make the general public much more aware of the risks associated with bringing plant material into the country.

    Economic plus other costs

    This may seem like an academic exercise, until one begins to put specifics on potential problems and real crops. There is considerable focus on certain tree pests and diseases, which could cause devastation should they arrive in Ireland.

    It is useful to remember that, as well as the risk of economic devastation, new serious problems in forests could also impact on our scenic countryside through the loss of trees, which could have consequences well beyond farming.

    New problems and controls

    Speaking at the launch, Anne Marie Dillon from the Department of Agriculture warned about a new potential problem of grassland called the root-knot nematode. This problem has appeared in the UK and it could be one of the very many potential new risks as our climate warms, opening the door to favour many new pest lifecycles. Some of these issues could prove very damaging if they got a foothold on this island and were favoured by our evolving climate.

    She also mentioned that there is new legislation coming into force next month. These measures mainly apply to the horticultural plant sector, but the measures can also be used on a wider basis if necessary.

  • One of these changes requires that anyone selling plants on the island must now be registered.

    • This means that retailers such as supermarkets and garden centres must be registered and provide traceability in the system up to the point of sale. Such records need to be kept for at least three years. Up to now, only regulated plants were bound by such controls.

  • Airports and ports will implement far more controls, which is new for the plant industry. This will involve signs to warn people about taking plants and plant material into the country and all plant material must be declared to customs when coming through. So this is a matter for customs as well as Department personnel.
  • The legislation is also considering additional controls in protected zones like Ireland which might require plant passports to be used right up to the point of sale to the final consumer. However, this has not yet been agreed.

    • Other functions

    Asked if the new laws could be used in the event of a pest already present on the island developing resistance to a control agent abroad but not here, it seems that temporary control measures could be enacted to counteract the risk of importation of an important pest.

    However, it is understood that such a measure would be temporary and the discovery of alternative control options would become a priority.