RV Roger biosecurity policy
Plant health is taken seriously throughout RVR, with both statutory and voluntary biosecurity measures being in place. Notifiable pests, though unlikely have the potential to cause enormous damage not only to RVR but to agriculture, forestry and wildland. To reduce the risk of this RVR commits to:
- Maintain an up-to-date Site and Operations Pest Risk Analysis (SOPRA).
- Adhere to the latest plant health legislation and best practice guidance.
- Train employees in biosecurity procedures.
- Communicate its biosecurity policy to employees and external parties.
- Retain designated plant health employees.
All our employees are informed on, understand and follow strong biosecurity practices. When plant material arrives to the site it is checked by experienced and responsible staff, subsequently being moved to a quarantine area dedicated to hosting arrivals. Once the quarantined plant has completed its time, it is checked again by our staff and then cleared for use elsewhere.
Cleared plant material is checked continually for health issues, with informal and regular formal stock checks conducted by staff, who report any issues directly to designated plant health personnel. Aseptic procedures such tool/tunnel disinfecting and footwear cleaning (to prevent soil transfer) are followed on site to prevent the potential spread of any diseases within the site.
Plants are checked again during their hand picking and packing prior to dispatch, and our non-GB exports are always checked and certified by inspectors prior to dispatch.
In addition, our nursery fields are regularly reviewed by Plant Health & Seeds Inspectors from the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA), a department of the UK government. These inspectors observe and test plants (especially arrivals) for disease and ensure compliant practices are employed in the propagation and maintenance of plant stocks in our nursery fields.
As a result RV Roger Ltd is accredited with EC Plant Passport UK/EW 12819 ZP/a4.1/a16/b2/c.01/c.02/c2 ‘CAC Material’. This is one of the highest levels of Plant Passport issued to UK nurseries, and confirms that our nursery fields are healthy, clean, and free from all notifiable pests and diseases.
We actively avoid purchasing material from areas where any notifiable pests or diseases are prevalent, and carefully assess our suppliers for strong biosecurity practices of their own. While our plant health staff keep up to date with emerging biosecurity issues through DEFRA, and adapt our purchasing/import choices accordingly.
For situations where plants are imported to site, we only deal with trusted plant passported suppliers, with whom we have long-term relations, and who can demonstrate equivalent levels of certification to ours.
Ian and Anne Roger, directors of RV Roger Ltd.