Trend Climate and trade intensifying plant pest outbreaks

Summary

The report defines a plant pest as any organism, including insects, other invertebrates, bacteria, fungi and viruses, that harms plant health by feeding on plants, causing disease or interfering with normal growth. International trade and travel act as pathways for pests and keep plant health under constant threat. Abiotic stresses such as drought, flooding and pollution also make plants more vulnerable and can change how disease develops and how severe it is. Environmental change linked to climate change intensifies these stresses, making plant disease outbreaks more frequent and severe, and could allow new pests to establish in the UK. The report expects the gradual spread of native and non-native pests to damage plant health, crop yields, the environment, natural capital and trade.