The Government has published a new Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2026 to 2030, setting out how Ireland plans to protect agriculture, horticulture, forestry and the wider environment from plant pests and diseases over the next five years.
The strategy was published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 7 May 2026. Its stated purpose is to safeguard food security, facilitate safe trade and protect the environment by reducing the risk of harmful plant pests and diseases entering, spreading or becoming established in Ireland.
The plan identifies three strategic goals: risk anticipation, risk surveillance and management, and risk awareness and communication. It contains 15 strategic objectives and 45 priority actions, with implementation to be overseen by the Department’s Plant Protection and Biosecurity Steering Committee.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said in the foreword that plants are critical for life, food production, biodiversity, environmental health and people’s wellbeing. He said Ireland’s geographical isolation and temperate climate provide natural advantages in preventing pest and disease incursions, but warned that risks are increasing because of globalisation, e-commerce and climate change.
The strategy builds on the first Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy for 2020 to 2025. The new document keeps the same broad national focus but places stronger emphasis on horizon scanning, surveillance, digitalisation, stakeholder reporting, scientific capacity, public awareness and an all-island approach to plant health.
The Department says plants and trees across Ireland’s agriculture, horticulture and forestry sectors are estimated to have an economic value of €4.9 billion, based on 2024 CSO output values. The strategy also notes that plants provide food, oxygen, biodiversity, carbon storage, urban greening, recreation and wider social benefits.
The global context is significant. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states that up to 40 percent of global crop production is lost each year because of plant pests and diseases, with losses costing the global economy more than USD 220 billion annually.
Ireland’s strategy repeats the same core concern. It says plant pests cause the loss of 40 percent of food crops globally and approximately €190 billion in annual trade losses in agricultural products. It also says pests and diseases can have economic, environmental and social consequences because plant health, animal health and environmental health are closely connected.
The first goal of the strategy is risk anticipation. This includes strengthening horizon-scanning methods, pest-risk analysis and risk assessment tools. The Department plans to maintain resources in this area, review the Irish Plant Pest Risk Register and engage with European and international plant health networks.
This element is important because many plant health risks are not visible until they are established. Once a serious pest or disease becomes widespread, eradication can be difficult or impossible. The strategy therefore places emphasis on identifying threats early, assessing pathways of introduction and preparing contingency responses before outbreaks occur.
The second goal is surveillance and management. The Department plans to continue annual and multi-annual plant health surveillance programmes, submit surveillance reports in line with legislation, and improve the use of digital tools and data management. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive annual risk-based surveillance programme and improved data reliability, security and customer service.
The scale of current surveillance is substantial. The strategy says there are over 21,000 inspections for EU priority pests annually, over 9,000 inspections for protected zone pests annually and over 2,000 inspections for Union quarantine pests annually. In 2025, DAFM plant health laboratories processed 1,669 samples.
The document also records that, in 2025, there were 16,083 consignments of plants, plant products and other objects subject to import controls, with 9,220 consignments subject to physical inspection. It also states that 100 interceptions took place at Border Control Posts between 2021 and 2025.
Trade is a major part of the biosecurity picture. The strategy says Ireland issued 2,780 phytosanitary certificates in 2025, facilitating approximately €63 million in exports. These certificates are important because they support safe trade by confirming that plants, plant products or other regulated items meet plant health requirements.
The EU plant health framework is central to Ireland’s approach. The European Commission says the EU Plant Health Law is intended to protect the Union’s territory and plants, support safe trade and mitigate the effects of climate change on crops and forests.
The Irish strategy identifies pests of particular concern, including the Emerald ash borer and Xylella fastidiosa. It describes Xylella fastidiosa as a bacterial disease that can cause severe damage to a wide range of plants and notes that it is present in several European countries. The strategy says DAFM has developed pest-specific contingency plans for EU priority pests, including Emerald ash borer and Xylella fastidiosa.
The strategy also highlights Ireland’s protected zone status. According to the Department, Ireland has 22 protected zones and three Border Control Posts. Protected zones are areas recognised under EU plant health rules where certain harmful organisms are not present, or are present only under strict control, and where additional protections apply.
The all-island dimension is another recurring theme. The strategy says cooperation between DAFM, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute is important to safeguarding plant health and biosecurity across the island of Ireland.
That cooperation is built into the action plan. Under the surveillance and management goal, DAFM says it will continue to enhance cooperation with DAERA and AFBI on plant health and biosecurity matters, maintain an all-island approach to plant pest surveillance and outbreak management, and collaborate on implementation of EU plant health requirements.
The third goal is risk awareness and communication. The Department plans to increase awareness among landowners, operators, industry stakeholders and the public. Priority actions include annual communication plans, publication of surveillance results, regional information seminars, national events, stakeholder guidance and cooperation with Teagasc.
Expected outputs include two Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network meetings each year, two Forest Health Stakeholders Group meetings annually, two plant health and biosecurity newsletters annually, two editions of Forest Health News each year, two regional information seminars and participation in two national events annually.
The strategy also proposes closer engagement with third-level education. It says DAFM will work with third-level institutes to make sure plant health is embedded in relevant courses, support educational initiatives and promote plant health as a career choice. The expected outcome is a stronger flow of graduates with knowledge of plant health and biosecurity.
Another significant element is the One Health framework. The strategy defines One Health as an integrated approach that recognises the links between the health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems. It says plant health should have a stronger profile within national and international One Health initiatives.
Implementation will be led by DAFM’s Plant Protection and Biosecurity Steering Committee, chaired by the Chief Plant Health Officer. The committee will meet twice yearly and will oversee implementation, monitor progress and identify challenges. A dashboard will be used to track progress on priority actions.
The strategy’s governance structure includes a Plant Health Policy and Operations Group that meets monthly and five working groups covering contingency plans, emerging plant pest review, surveillance, trade imports and exports, and communications. The Plant Health and Biosecurity Stakeholder Network will also meet twice yearly.
A mid-term review is due in 2028. The Department says the Stakeholder Network will receive updates twice a year, with those updates focusing on implementation plans and completed priority actions.
The strategy makes clear that plant health is not only a Government responsibility. It says landowners, professional operators, gardeners, travellers and the wider public all have roles to play in protecting Ireland’s plant health and biosecurity.
That public-facing element is likely to matter because new pathways for plant pests are not limited to commercial imports. The strategy identifies e-commerce as a growing risk, with online purchases of plants and plant products creating new routes for pests and diseases to move across borders. Climate change is also expected to increase the likelihood that some pests and diseases can survive in locations where they could not previously establish.
For farmers, growers and foresters, the strategy is relevant to production risks, export access and disease control. For the public, it is relevant to gardens, parks, woodlands, biodiversity and the wider environment. For the State, it is part of a broader effort to prevent plant health shocks that could affect food supply, trade, forestry, landscapes and climate resilience.
The strategy’s success will depend on practical implementation: early detection, strong laboratory capacity, clear contingency plans, coordinated all-island working, and public cooperation. Ireland’s island location gives it some natural protection, but the Department’s message is that those advantages cannot be taken for granted.
The new plan is therefore both preventive and preparatory. It seeks to keep serious pests out where possible, detect risks quickly when they arise, and ensure that Government, industry and the public understand their role in protecting Ireland’s plant health over the period to 2030.
