Posted: 16/03/16

The English Oak is facing new threats as plant disease Xyella fatidiosa becomes a growing concern.  A leading grower has warned that European plant health rules could be to blame.

Jamie Dewurst, managing director of Warwick-based nursery J&A Growers, has said that in the past the expectation has been that the authorities would keep the UK disease free but fears that “now they wont – they will just use what powers they have and ultimately as a trade we are responsible for what we do.”

It seems that due to a lack of resources inspections are limited to named hosts on the EU list and this does not include the English Oak (Quercus Robur) which is only named as a host in America.

With new plant passport regulations coming in in the Autumn to be fully implemented in three years time it seems there is a lot going on as well as these new threats.

More on this topic can be found on Horticulture Week.