Plant health controls in Scotland are based on the EU Plant Health Regime. This is set out in the EU Plant Health Directive, 2000/29/EC and adopted into Scottish legislation through the Plant Health (Scotland) Order 2005. The Directive and Order set out detailed requirements for many plant species entering or moving within the Community and are regularly amended to keep these controls up to date.
Fees for various plant health services are also set out in legislation.
Please use the links on the right to access the main plant health legislation. Amendments can be found by using the Office of Public Service Information website, (UK legislation) or EUR-Lex (EU legislation).
Pest Risk Analysis
The decision on the level of controls that should be put in place for a particular pest is taken on the basis of a "Pest Risk Analysis" or PRA. PRAs may range from a simple expert judgement ("tropical insect, no host plants in Europe, no risk") to a detailed scientific review which attempts to put figures on the risks, and the costs and benefits of different ways of managing those risks. Under international trade rules any measures which regulate imports must be justified by a PRA written according to international standards.
In the UK, PRAs are normally produced by Fera, with input from Forest Research and SASA as appropriate. Stakeholders who may be affected by the pest have the opportunity to comment on new PRAs. Further information and the list of current PRAs is available from the link on the left.