Alan Titchmarsh issues stark warning over ‘real danger’ of foreign imports as he urges gardeners ‘don’t do it!’

Alan Titchmarsh has spoken about the grave threat to Britain’s “biosecurity” in a clear warning to gardeners across the country on Sunday.

The 75-year-old was speaking while appearing on BBC Breakfast.

Host Ben Thompson began by asking the Love Your Garden host what needed to be done to protect Britain’s “food crops but the rest of our plants”.

Titchmarsh’s demeanour became serious as he advised Thompson that “biosecurity is a real and present danger.”

Speaking further, he explained that one of the main functions of the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) was to manage the nations borders for plants.

He detailed that the department “monitors the passage of plants between Europe, the rest of the world and this country.”

Ultimately, their vigilance was to “make sure that we retain plant health in terms of both pests and diseases.”

Research from the Royal Horticultural Society suggests that imports of live plants to the UK have increased by 71 per cent since 1999.

As a result, they estimate there are now more than 1,000 pests and diseases on the UK plant health risk register including ash dieback, box tree moth and horse chestnut leaf miner.

This relationship changed after the United Kingdom left the EU, as plants grown in EU countries could be moved freely between member states without disease and pest checks.

Now, with mandatory checks for all plants coming in the RHS believes “provide an opportunity to improve detection of plant pests and diseases at the border and in doing so has the potential to reduce future pest and disease problems.”

Even still, Titchmarsh was keen to stress continued diligence was required.

Titchmarsh continued that biosecurity threats were an “ongoing problem and a lot of work is being done in that area to make sure safeguards are put in place and that we don’t import.”

After outlining the situation, he issued a stark warning to gardeners at home who may spot a plant they fancy while aboard.

“It’s vitally important that when people go on holiday, they don’t chuck a cutting in their bag. Don’t do it.” Titchmarsh cautioned.

Instead, he recommended gardeners around the UK to buy their plants “in this country from reputable suppliers”

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Even if they are foreign in origin, he added that those plants would “have been quarantined for a good year to make sure they are free of pests and diseases”.

“Then you know not only are you buying something for your garden that won’t affect it, but you’re also not bringing something into this country that we’d hitherto managed to keep out,” Titchmarsh added reassuringly.

Concluding, the 75-year-old reemphasised that “it’s important that all of us take part in plant safety and biosecurity.”