Mr. Kevin Collins:

Colleagues in our forestry inspectorate deal specifically with forest diseases and pests and their control. They take samples and look at material coming in from outside the country, including, for example, dunnage, that is, the bits of wood used to stop cargoes rocking around in shipping containers. Regular surveys are also undertaken in the forests by those inspectors. In addition and of equal importance, they also deal with reports and observations from members of the public and farmers who notice something strange happening with the trees on their land. If people spot a disease or a pest on their land affecting a tree in a way that is unusual, we encourage them to report such findings to us. There is a danger that the threat from pests and diseases may intensify, as the Minister of State mentioned, because of climate change, increasing trade, etc. The risks are increasing, but colleagues are very much involved day to day in working in this area. I reiterate that the feedback we receive from members of the public and farmers regarding potentially new pests and diseases is a very important part of what we do.