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.
Documents
Details
»Ê¹ÚÌåÓýapp 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:Â
- 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