£10 million in new Government funding for surveillance programme
will further strengthen the country's biosecurity to protect
animals, plants, people and trade.
The fight against pests and diseases, which can cost the UK
economy billions of pounds, has been stepped up today (Thursday 8
May) with £10m of new funding announced for surveillance
projects.
The Genomics for Animal and Plant Disease Consortium (GAP-DC)
project led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency will
undertake surveillance across animal, plant and aquatic
environments, using advanced genome sequencing technologies
– a method that reads the complete genetic code of a living
organism, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, or animals – to
detect, identify and track pathogens with precision.
For example, when avian influenza is found in UK poultry, genome
sequencing can help confirm the virus type, trace its spread, and
detect any mutations, supporting disease control measures.
The UK faces significant and growing economic threats from pests
and diseases affecting agriculture, livestock, and the
environment. Invasive species alone cost the UK economy an
estimated £4 billion annually, while plant pathogens and
pests contribute to substantial crop losses.
Ash dieback is predicated to cost £15 billion to the UK over
coming decades and livestock disease such as avian influenza can
have devastating financial and societal consequences, and has
been estimated to cost the poultry meat sector more than £100m
over a two-year period.
APHA Interim Chief Executive Dr Jenny Stewart
said:
“Disease presents a significant risk to our farmers, global trade
and human health.
“This vital funding and collaboration with world leading
experts will help APHA identify and tackle disease risk more
effectively.
“This research will lead to significantly advanced surveillance
capabilities to protect UK borders from new and existing
threats.”
Research to be undertaken in collaboration with seven expert
partners will include a focus on increasing the speed of pathogen
detection at our borders, addressing new and re-emerging disease
outbreaks, developing new strategies to control and mitigate
endemic disease, and an improved approach to working with
stakeholders and the community. It will also investigate disease
spillover from wild animals and plants – when a virus moves from
one species to other, such as the transmission of the COVID-19
virus from bats to humans.
The £10 million of new funding provided by Defra and UK Research
and Innovation (UKRI) will strengthen pathogen detection across
the UK over the next two years and help protect the UK economy,
as part of the Government's Plan for Change.
The announcement comes during National Plant Health Week (5-12
May 2025), an annual designated week of action to raise
public awareness and engagement on how to keep our plants
healthy, led by Defra in partnership with 32 organisations,
including the Royal Horticultural Society, the Woodland Trust and
the Horticultural Trades Association.
Additional information:
- APHA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for
Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Welsh Government,
and the Scottish
Government, which employs around 3,600 staff, based at
various sites across the UK.
- The GAP-DC project will help APHA to get a better
understanding of new sequencing technologies and platforms
available in genomic surveillance so that we can test more
effectively.
- The project is supported by £7 million of funding from Defra
and £3m from UKRI.
- A full list of partners involved in the project is below:
-Animal and Plant Health Agency (lead)
“Forest Research is internationally renowned for the provision of
science, research, evidence, data and services for the support of
sustainable forestry.
“The genomic methods being developed under the GAP DC project are
essential to future proof Forest Research's work on monitoring
the health of our trees by enhancing early pathogen detection,
allowing rapid response and more effective disease control.”
-
Royal Veterinary College Vice Principal for Research
and Innovation Professor Oliver Pybus said:
“The Royal Veterinary College is pleased to contribute its
expertise in infectious disease genomics and animal health to
GAP-DC.
“The consortium will further strengthen the UK's position as a
world-leader in genomic surveillance for animal and plant
pathogens”
-
Cefas Animal and Human Health Science Lead Professor
David Bass said:
“Cefas, an Executive Agency of Defra, has diverse expertise in
marine and freshwater science, working for healthy and productive
oceans, seas, and rivers, and safe and sustainable seafood.
“Genomic methods for pathogen surveillance and understanding the
health of aquatic organisms are central to this mission, so we
greatly value our participation in GAP-DC, and contributing to
the UK's excellence and innovation in pathogen genomics.”
