Abstract
In order to protect our crops and environment from quarantine pests and diseases, the UK needs an effective inspection service. In England and Wales this service is provided by the Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate (PHSI), which is part of the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera). PHSI activities are focussed on the detection, surveillance and monitoring of quarantine pests and diseases on plants, seeds and produce moving in trade, growing crops at commercial premises and managed landscapes. This work is in support of UK plant health legislation and the EU Plant Health Directive. In order to carry out this function more effectively and efficiently, inspectors need better tools and technology. This is truer now than ever before, given the increasing numbers of drivers, both fiscal and political, which impact upon any modern inspection service: the increasing volume and diversity of global trade, the need to comply with international regulations and the desire to impact less on industry through better regulation; these are all factors which must be taken into account in the current climate. In addition, given that UK plant health legislation is directly linked to the EU Plant Health Directive, it is vital to set our national inspection effort into a broader European plant health context. By applying science-based solutions to inspection problems, it is possible to both improve the speed and accuracy of inspections, while making them less disruptive and costly. To acheive these aims, this project will focus on three main objectives as follows: 1. The development of novel detection tools and approaches for on-site use, allowing for more front-line diagnosis by PHSI, alongside the development of approaches for determining which tools to use and when. 2. The development and deployment of statistical and modelling tools and SOPs (for decisions-making and implementation) to inform surveillance planning, contingency planning and to aid the implementation of PHSI activities. 3. Analysis of data quality and methodologies in relation to plant pest surveys (matched funding for EFSA pest surveillance call, published July 2010; or for equivalent work).
United Kingdom