giving up on phytophera

[Dean O]

just had an email that I'd like to pass on.

Had to think for a minute... is it April 1st....

 

 

"Dear both,

After the destruction of our country parks in Neath and significant costs it appears that the Welsh Government has out of the blue given up on the control of Phytophthora. We have just been informed by letter from NRW that all Plant Health notices involving this disease in Wales will be revoked from the 6th February 2014.

It appears that this was a ministerial decision taken on the 15th January 2014 and is for financial reasons not disease control.

After a number of phone calls it is apparent that nobody was aware that this was coming. The plant health inspector for our area and Coed Cymru staff did not know about it until we told them.

I know I am preaching to the converted but there are a lot of people who have suffered significant financial and environmental losses due to the governments failed sanitation felling policy which with an airborne disease was never going to succeed. Sanitation felling never worked for DED which with an insect vector was theoretically easier to control.

No mention has been made of the continuing and with the suspension of felling increasing risk to other tree species. Please correct me if I am wrong but I thought the reduction in spore volume and the risk of infection to other woody species was the primary reason for the enforced felling.

Every day politicians and the environment are becoming more like oil and water -complete opposites !!!"

 

I'm sure the word will spread quickly enough so I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes by sharing this

[Gary Prentice]

Is anyone honestly surprised? Environmental matters are great to promote, particularly at election time, but at the end of the day it's always about money. Look at the recent statement of, I think, Patterson that its okay the fell semi-natural woodland.