Continuing the HTA agenda and prioritisation of plant
health by the HTA, Alistair Yeomans will be taking on a new role to drive this
forward focussing on the development of the
plant health agenda, notably advancing the Plant Health and Biosecurity
Alliance and securing external funding to support its continued development.
The HTA is recruiting
a new Horticulture Manager to take responsibility for HTA grower member
activities including the management of the BOPP Scheme, development of the
Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media and grower liaison.
With
plant health being such a fundamental priority for the horticulture industry
the HTA continues to work closely with other organisations including Defra,
APHA and Grown in Britain. This year has seen a Plant Health conference, the
publication of the Plant Health Management Standard and the launch of the Plant
Healthy toolkit – a biosecurity self-assessment tool for all businesses. This
is a first step towards the development of the independently audited Plant
Health Assurance Scheme.
Alistair Yeomans, comments, “Following a productive year at the HTA, my new role will
focus on plant health and biosecurity. I would like to thank all colleagues at
the HTA and partner organisations for their help and support to date. This
exciting new role will see our efforts redoubled in tackling threatening plant
pests by progressing with the Plant Health Assurance Scheme and the overarching
Plant Healthy initiative.”
HTA Chairman James Barnes comments, “Plant
health is such an important area for our whole industry and it is vital that
this agenda is progressed at pace. Alistair has been instrumental in driving
this work forward and this move to a dedicated role will help achieve this. We
will continue to work closely with Alistair on plant health.”
