UK Plant Health Information Portal
An online hub for plant health information, data and resources

National Plant Health Week 8-14th May 2023

This year saw our third annual National Plant Health Week run from 8-14th May. National Plant Health Week is an annual designated week of action, taking place from 8 to 14 May 2023, to raise public awareness and engagement on how to keep our plants healthy. It is a collaborative effort by over 30 organisations across the UK who are committed to protect the health of our nation’s plants and trees. This year we are celebrating the importance of being a good plant health citizen.

By protecting plant health, we protect the benefits plants provide to all of us, to wildlife, the environment and our economy.

Why are our plants so important?

• Plants feed us: 80% of the food we eat comes from plants.
• Plants help us breathe plants produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe.
• Plants help fight climate change- trees are vital carbon sinks.
• Our plants also provide an annual value to our society of £15.7billion.

But like people plants can become sick from pests and diseases, and we need your help to protect them.

Globalisation in trade and increased travel means threats to plant health are increasing.

In addition, climate change, and human activities, have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new opportunities for pests to thrive.

Protecting the UK from plants pests and diseases is far more cost effective than dealing with plant health outbreaks.

Government and the plant sector are leading the way, and taking actions to address these threats, but we all have an important role to play in keeping our plants healthy by:

• Checking your sweet chestnut trees - Look out for signs of pests and diseases on chestnut trees, and report findings to Tree Alert on the Forest Research.org website.
• ‘Don’t risk it!’ Don’t bring plant material (plants, trees, fruit and seeds) into the UK from trips abroad. These might be carrying harmful pests and diseases.
• Buying your plants and trees responsibly- Source plants from reputable nurseries and suppliers.
• Keeping it clean by cleaning boots, bikes and buggies before visiting woodlands and parks, otherwise you could spread harmful organisms like fungi, bacteria and insects.

More information can be found on the Plant Health Action.org website

Report a pest or disease

 

There are many pests and diseases that can seriously damage crops and plants in the UK. Assessing and understanding these threats is essential to informing the actions needed to protect plant health set out in Protecting Plant Health - A Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain.

As the Strategy makes clear, tackling threats to plant health is not just a matter for government; success is dependent on partnership working between all those with a role to play. To this end the Portal is a shared resource providing information about plant pests and diseases, including the assessments of risk undertaken by government and the data underpinning those assessments, with links to other sites of interest, including non-government sites, as well as information on the plant health controls and services provided by government.

 

Find out more about the plant pests and diseases which threaten our crops, trees, gardens and countryside.

Initiatives providing opportunities for members of the public to get involved in helping combat threats to plant health. How you can help tackle plant health risks.

Find out more about Citizen Science initiatives.

Resources

Explore our Resources section.