Select Committee Report says skills gap may hamper tree disease fight. Professor Michael Shaw 'We need a steady stream of funding that will develop expertise over a long period.
Release Date 11 March 2014
Professor Michael Shaw, a plant disease expert from the University of Reading, President of British Society for Plant Pathology 2013 and a member of the ad hoc Task Force on tree plant and health, comments on the select committee report.
"There's a shortage of tree pathologists, and especially of people who can understand disease in the context of whole forests. With the UK's broad trading links we can expect novel pests and diseases to give unpleasant surprises at frequent intervals, despite our best efforts to avoid them.
"We need steady funding that will support long-term careers. This will encourage people to develop expertise over a sustained period. A purely market solution will not work. We need co-ordination among universities to ensure we offer consistent training opportunities and maintain the skills to deliver them. A long-term 'whole-system' view is required to protect our trees."