Plant Biosecurity Policy

British Hardwood Tree Nursery Ltd (BHT) recognises that it has a responsibility to implement, maintain and review controls throughout every aspect of its business to ensure that good plant husbandry and biosecurity is always achieved.

Biosecurity is defined as a set of precautions that aim to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful organisms. These may be pests, pathogens or invasive species that can affect plant health.

BHT is committed to:

• Making the management of biosecurity and in particular, plant biosecurity, a priority for all members of staff, its suppliers, contractors, visitors and other interested parties.
• Continually reviewing the systems and processes we implement, to ensure they are successfully maintained, if not, improved, to deliver effective and accepted levels of competence across all areas of biosecurity in the business.
• Staying up to date with pests and diseases, and legislation that may affect the nursery.

To support these policy aims, British Hardwood Tree Nursery Ltd will:

• Minimise risk by only sourcing plant material for BHT from reputable growers, alongside strict regimes of assessment of all plants on arrival and prior to storage, within the main plant storage areas of the premises.
• Dedicate the necessary personnel and financial resources required to achieve this policy, with areas of responsibility defined in job descriptions.
• Implement a Plant Healthy Management System following the Plant Healthy Management Standard.
• Comply with and, where possible, exceed all applicable statutory laws and regulations.
• Inform, train and supervise all employees to take account of necessary biosecurity regimes throughout all working practices, including appropriate refresher training at all levels.
• Remain committed to the legal requirements for alerting the appropriate organisations of any suspected quarantine pest and pathogens outbreak we encounter.

This policy is reviewed continually and regularly to ensure that it remains appropriate to both the business and the aims set out in it.

Signed

Andrew Henderson, Managing Director

Last updated: August 2023