There are many pests and diseases that can seriously damage crops and plants in the UK. To protect plant health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) sets policy and enforces controls and restrictions on the import, movement and keeping of certain plants, plant pests and other materials such as soil.

The Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI) is part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and implements and enforces plant health policy in England, and in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government. If you want to grow, import, export or move certain plants or plant material, you will need to use the PHSI’s services.

Current plant health issues

Latest issues related to protecting plant health and the trade of plants, fruit, vegetables or plant material.

Protectingmaterial plantcan health:be topicalfound issueson the pests and diseases page on the UK Plant Health Information Portal.

Legislation

Plant health legislation controls the import and movement of certain plants, seeds and organic matter - such as soil - and certain plant products, including fruit, potatoes, vegetables, cut flowers, foliage and grain.

Controls differare accordingdifferent todepending on the species - and whether or not they are classified as quarantine organisms - but could include the need for classification, a phytosanitary certificate, a plant passport and/or inspection requirements.

There are two main elements of plant health control relevant to growers and crop farmers:

• protection against quarantine organisms - measures to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful plant pests and diseases which are not established in theGreat European UnionBritain
• certification - ensures that high-quality planting material which is free from specific pests and diseases is available to growers

If you find or suspect a quarantine organism, you must contact your local PHSI office immediately.

Importing

Imports

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Quarantine pests

Requirements on quarantine pests and diseases are one of the two key elements of plant health control, along with certification.

Quarantine measures help to keep foreign pests out of areas where they could damage crops, trees, wild plants and ecosystems. Under plant health legislation a number of plant pests and diseases are classified as quarantine organisms and are therefore subject to statutory control.

For further information about pests and diseases, see the Plant Health Portal.Portal.

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What zonesto do if you identify a quarantine pest or disease

Early identification is important to help combat quarantine pests and diseases. If you find a quarantine organism or suspect one may be present, you should contact your local PHSI immediately to alert them.

For information on tree-related notifiable pests and diseases, you can contact the Forestry Commission.

Potato brown rot

Potato brown rot is a serious bacterial disease of potato which is not present in the UK but is a threat to the potato industry.

APHA annually monitors potatoes and has a programme of sampling watercourses to check for the organism (Ralstonia solanacearum) which causes potato brown rot.

Restrictions are put in place if the organism is found. For watercourses this means that the irrigation and spraying of potato and tomato crops is only possible using an approved method, such as winter abstraction and storage, or water treatment.

Growers or companies interested in developing or using an approved technique must first contact APHA.

See the following information about restrictions:

• Details of water courses and the area surrounding them to which restrictions apply (PDF, 618KB223 KB, 57 pages)

• Details of the restrictions that apply regarding irrigation and spraying of potato and tomato crops (PDF, 69.8KB,249 1 pageKB)

• Stakeholder meeting, March, Cambridgeshire – 9 November 2016 (PDF, 296KB,6 4 pages)

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Read the guidance on moving prohibited plants, plant pests, pathogens and soil.

Application forms

• Application for a licence to import, move and keep prohibited plants, plant pests, soil etc (PHI 3) (PDF, 202KB202 KB, 4 pages)

• Application for a licence to import, move and keep prohibited soil or growing medium for chemical or physical analysis (PHI 3A) (PDF, 199KB199 KB, 4 pages)

• Application for authority to send licensed material (PHI 10) (PDF, 116KB, 1 page)

Online applications

Fees

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Fees

FollowingImport ainspection, publicplant consultationpassporting, onseed proposedpotato changesand tofruit theplants chargingand structurefruit andplant feespropagating formaterial plantcertification, healthlicensing, servicessampling deliveredof bypotatoes APHAoriginating in EnglandEgypt and Wales,the new fees will apply from 6 April 2018.Lebanon:

• The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 20182020
• The Plant Health (Exportetc. Certification)(Miscellaneous Fees) (England) (Amendment) OrderRegulations 20182019
• The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 20182019
• The Plant Health etc. (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 20172018

Export certification services:

• The Plant Health (Fees)etc. (Miscellaneous Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 20162019
• The Plant Health (Export Certification) (England) (Amendment) Order 20152018
• The Plant Health (Fees)(Export Certification) (England) Regulations(Amendment) 2014Order 2015
• The Plant Health (Export Certification) (England) (Amendment) Order 2014
• The Plant Health (Export Certification) (England) (Amendment) Order 2013
• The Plant Health (Export Certification) (England) (Amendment) Order 2005
• The Plant Health (Export Certification) (England) (Order) 2004

Contacts and further information

To contact APHA call the Plant Health Helpline.

Further information is also available on the following websites.

Rural Payments Agency

Forestry Commission website

Defra

Chemicals Regulation Division

PEACH helpdesk

Natural Resources Wales