Plant Health Group


Freedom from pests and diseases is vital to the profitable production of crops and produce, and is equally important for maintaining international trade. However, in today's environmentally conscious world this freedom has to be balanced with the pressure to minimise pesticide use.

Clearly it is vital to adopt a strategy that prevents pests and diseases from overseas gaining a foothold and establishing viable populations in the UK. It is also vital to manage intelligently those that are already established in the UK.

Our expertise in the biology of plant pests and diseases is critical to the success of this strategy and is the foundation of the Group but our remit is increasingly diverse.

Plant Health Group Mission Statement

The Group's mission is to provide the highest quality scientific consultancy and services based on research to:

  • safeguard crops and the environment from invasive pests and diseases and to facilitate international trade in plants and planting material
  • maintain bee health in support of domestic and EU legislation through the Bees Inspectorate
  • contribute scientific expertise, legislative experience and research excellence through the independent GM Inspectorate and its forensic research back up
  • safeguard the food chain and environment from harmful micro-organisms

The work of the Group is focused in the following main areas:

  • Science consultancy support for international plant health policy
  • Pest and disease diagnosis to international standard in support of plant health legislation and commercially
  • Plant health risk analysis and management to deal with quarantine contingency issues
  • Research and development of diagnostics for laboratory and field use
  • Investigation of quarantine pest and disease biology to complete risk assessments
  • Food microbiology surveillance
  • Provision of the Bees Inspectorate and its scientific support and support for bee health legislation and policy
  • Provision of the GM Inspectorate for England and Wales and its supporting forensic research
  • Research and development of methods using molecular genetics for speciation and authentication

Head of Plant Health Group

Each of the team names below links through to more information about the teams and the science they are involved in.

Plant Health Consultancy Environmental and Food Microbiology International Development National Bee Unit Biotechnology and Molecular Genetics Pest and Disease Identification Immunology and Molecular Methods Plant Health Group structure diagram