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<p>The threat that diseases such as Xylella pose to our country’s trees is a very
real concern, for the landscape and for our economy. This is why in October last year,
the Secretary of State wrote to European Commissioner Vytensis Andriukaitis to press
for stronger EU protections against the disease, stating that we would be forced to
take action if EU protections were not increased. The UK Government secured these
increased protections in November 2017. Now, in addition to existing restrictions
on host plants from high risk areas, inspections and testing are required for host
plants moved anywhere within the EU. When we leave the EU we will have an opportunity
to examine all our national biosecurity measures on plant imports to ensure they are
as robust as possible to protect the UK against diseases like Xylella. This will significantly
reduce the risk of the disease being brought to the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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