UK-based Wyevale Nurseries scoops Plant Healthy Certification for third year running

Steve Reed, Production Director Container Division at Wyevale Nurseries holding a peat- free Photinia ‘Red Robin’

The team at UK-based Wyevale Nurseries is celebrating this week after being awarded a Plant Healthy Certificate for its high biosecurity standards for the third year running.

Production manager, Kyle Ross received the certification from the Plant Health Alliance following a rigorous independent external audit and the company now has an inhouse Plant Healthy Organisation Group too.

Kyle says: “We’re delighted to announce that we’ve achieved our Plant Healthy certification for a third year running. It’s pretty significant to be announcing our news this week as Friday, May 12, marks the United Nation’s International Day of Plant Health to raise global awareness and take action to keep plants healthy and help protect the environment and biodiversity.

“Our external audit was conducted by Grown in Britain, the certification body for the scheme, and they found our measures to be robust. I’d like to thank every team member involved in the process for cooperating and sharing their time and knowledge. It was a massive team effort. Plant Healthy Certification is a huge asset to us in securing work.

“I am particularly indebted to Chris Mason and Adrian Cituran over at trees and transplants, James Mattock for his annual traceability expertise and a big ‘thank you’ goes to Cian Lynch and Sam Bateman, who were both fantastic in representing their divisions and are now part of our internal Plant Healthy Organisation Group.

“The Group has been established to have a representative in our containers, field and container trees and transplants departments who will be responsible for implementing Plant Healthy standards and protocols for their production departments. This demonstrates just how seriously we take our responsibilities.”

This certification scheme makes it easier to identify businesses or organisations that trade and grow plants with the highest standards of health and biosecurity.

Kyle adds: “It also helps reduce the risk of introducing/spreading destructive plant pests via our trade plant supply chains and protects the horticulture industry, other cultivated plants and natural habitats.”

Certified businesses must successfully complete and pass a Plant Healthy audit and show they are committed to adopting high voluntary plant health and biosecurity standards.

The Plant Health Alliance are the Governing Body for the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, which is based on the Plant Health Management Standard.

The Plant Health Alliance produce the Plant Health Management Standard, which is focused on UK ornamental and amenity horticultural businesses and organisations. It can also be adopted by international businesses.

The Plant Health Management Standard – which sets out the requirements to be met by scheme registrants – was developed by specialists from industry, government and the third sector.

Alistair Yeomans, manager for the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, explains: “The Standard aims to empower horticultural businesses to take a proactive approach to plant biosecurity. The Plant Health Alliance aims to promote the importance of protecting the health of our plant life from plant pests and diseases, as doing so will help safeguard the biodiversity of the British landscape and support the UK economy.”

Wyevale’s main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.