In May 2024, Great Britain’s Plant Health Services will introduce new pest measures.  

From 31 May 2024, certain pest and trade-facilitating legislative changes will come into force. The proposed changes include:

• Regulating new Quarantine Pests, including two Chrysobothris beetle species that attack a wide range of deciduous trees (please find details of the stakeholder engagement currently open on the proposed import requirements on host plants, wood and woodchips from the USA and Canada. Checks on the affected wood and woodchips will be at 100%).
• Providing specific import requirements for the introduction of spruce Christmas trees from Norway, not intended for the market, for short-term display only.

From 9 November 2024, the remaining proposed changes will come into force. This includes:

• Listing certain pests, based on preliminary assessments, as provisional quarantine pests.
• Regulating the seed of Solanum sisymbriifolium, known as sticky nightshade, as a known host of the RNQP Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). In addition, seed of all Solanum species will require a Phytosanitary Certificate and checks will increase from 1% to 5% (unless already required at higher levels). Please see details of the stakeholder engagement currently open on this measure here.

Please see a Q&A document as well as a summary of the proposed legislative changes for more information.

The WTO have been notified of the proposals. If you have any comments or questions, email planthealth@defra.gov.uk.