Responding to the news that checks at the border for plants will now be delayed until 1 July 2022, the Horticultural Trades Association’s Director of Policy and Communications, James Clark, welcomed this move, saying: 

“This delay is the right decision. Most Border Control Posts were not yet ready to receive goods for checks and businesses had not had adequate time to plan.  

The horticulture industry has always traded responsibly with high biosecurity standards, so we are keen to work with Government to ensure a plant health and biosecurity regime that fosters a self-regulatory approach, encourages best practice and does not hamper trade.

“Ornamental horticulture is the only sector to have been working within such restrictive conditions and there has been little recognition from government of the immense burden this has placed upon horticultural businesses. This move by Government only serves to underwrite our call for a plant health agreement which recognises the individual UK-EU plant health regimes.”