Growing Policies

Biosecurity Policy

The Grower Ltd. acknowledges the risk posed to UK horticulture and the environment from plant pest and disease. We have the strong belief that as an island nation we can use our geographic position to our advantage regarding the production of plant material with a stringent biosecurity policy. As such The Grower (Directors, employees and subcontractors) recognises the importance of our company responsibility to maintain high quality upkeep and alertness to our biosecurity policies, to the environment regarding the growing, selling and trading of plant material. The Grower is committed to maintaining industry standard protocols towards plant health and biosecurity measures within the business.

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Whilst The Grower is currently a small business, it has aims to produce plants to the highest standards, with its own plants regularly inspected by both internal team members and staff from the UK Government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

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The Grower believes the simplest of measures can often have the biggest effect on minimising the risk from activities that threaten biosecurity. These are often the easiest to implement, with the widest uptake. The Grower aims to implement these at every opportunity.  To this end we employ the following steps:

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1. The Grower has an internal Plant Health Process to ensure good practice in our purchasing and growing processes, with full documentation and record - keeping (online and in paper format).

2. No plant products are grown in fields with Public Rights of Way, or Open Access to the public.

3. The Grower complies with all government legislation regarding plant health, maintaining an up-to-date understanding of issues.

4. The Grower does not directly import any plant material from outside of the UK.

5. Through consultants, trade bodies and ‘plant health portal’ we remain up-to-date with plant health notifications.

6. The Grower and its suppliers are all plant passported in accordance with current legislation, ensuring all elements of its supply chain are carefully vetted and have values in line with its own, regarding maintaining biosecurity.

7. We practice high levels of nursery hygiene, maintaining crop inspection and husbandry records.

8. On arrival, traded plants are inspected by nominated, trained staff for pest and disease issues.

9. Traded stock is held in a separate area to our own grown plant stock whilst it quarantines and awaits dispatch. 

10. Staff are trained thoroughly to recognise and report pest and disease. This is maintained through an active  training and development programme.

11. We maintain a working relationship with our local plant health inspectorate.

12. We ensure that all areas of our business and supply chain adhere to our policy regarding plant health and the environment.

13. Visitors, including delivery drivers, park in a designated area away from our working yard, all visitors are asked to call a member of staff on arrival and are accompanied by a member of staff at all times on the site. All visitors are asked to dip their shoes on arrival.