WYEVALE Nurseries has been awarded a Plant Healthy Certificate for its high biosecurity standards for the fourth year in succession it’s been revealed this month (June 2024).
Kyle Ross, Production Manager at the Hereford-based leading UK commercial grower, was presented with the certification from the Plant Health Alliance following a comprehensive independent audit.
He says: “We’re delighted to have achieved our Plant Healthy certification for a fourth year running. It’s a wonderful achievement and everyone at Wyevale Nurseries should be very proud. Grown in Britain, which is the certification body for the scheme, conducted our external audit and they found our measures to be robust.
“I’d like to thank all the team members who were involved. Their cooperation, time and knowledge has been essential throughout this process. It was a tremendous team effort. Plant Healthy Certification is an incredible asset for us when it comes to securing work.
“I am particularly grateful to Chris Mason and Adrian Cituran in trees and transplants, as well as James Mattock for his ongoing traceability knowledge and I’m also indebted to Cian Lynch and Sam Bateman, who have been marvellous in representing their divisions and are both key members of our internal Plant Healthy Organisation Group.
“The Group was established last year and has a representative in our containers, field and container trees and transplants departments who are responsible for implementing Plant Healthy standards and protocols for their production departments. It’s an indication of how seriously we take our responsibilities here.”
The Plant Healthy certification scheme makes it easier to identify businesses or organisations that trade and grow plants with the highest standards of health and biosecurity.
Kyle continues: “It also helps reduce the risk of introducing/spreading destructive plant pests via our trade plant supply chains and protects the horticulture industry, other cultivated plants and natural habitats.”
Certified businesses must successfully complete and pass a Plant Healthy audit and show they are committed to adopting high voluntary plant health and biosecurity standards.
The Plant Health Alliance are the Governing Body for the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, which is based on the Plant Health Management Standard.
The Plant Health Alliance produce the Plant Health Management Standard, which is focused on UK ornamental and amenity horticultural businesses and organisations. It can also be adopted by international businesses.
The Plant Health Management Standard – which sets out the requirements to be met by scheme registrants – was developed by specialists from industry, government and the third sector.
Malcolm Catlin, Project Director of Plant Healthy Limited, says: “The Standard provides the framework for – and Plant Healthy Scheme certification provides recognition of – a high standard of plant biosecurity.
“As well as benefiting individual businesses, it also helps protect the health of our plant life from plant pests and diseases, and doing so will help safeguard the biodiversity of the British landscape and support the UK economy.”
Wyevale Nurseries’ product selection is admired across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.
Its main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.
For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, please call 01432 845 200 or visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk.