Defra issue OPM reminder ahead of planting season

Defra has issued a reminder to traders likely to be involved in the movement of large oak trees this planting season, of regulations introduced during May 2023 to prevent the spread of oak processionary moth.

The changes introduced during May 2023 affect traders responsible for the movement of large oak trees (defined as having a girth at 1.2m above the root collar of 8cm or more) in the areas of the country referred to as the Buffer zone or Established area.

Buffer zone and Established area are management zones designated by Defra, firstly to acknowledge the presence of oak processionary moth, and secondly to arrest the spread of the pest as much as possible.

The 3 management zones are as follows:

- Area free from the pest: This area covers most of the country and is officially designated free from the pest
- Buffer zone: Situated between 'Established area' and 'Area free from the pest', the buffer zone surrounds the established area, covering an area of around 8,800 square miles.  This is likely to expand as OPM moves up the country.  
- Established area: Area where OPM is established in the South East of England

Click here to view the most recent version of the map detailing the locations of each zone.

The 2023 updated regulations permit the movement of large oak trees within the established area and buffer zone management zones, providing biosecurity measures are met:

1. Demonstration of biosecurity requirements set out in plant health management standard or provision of Ready to Plant Approval from Fera Science Ltd.

2. Animal and Plant Health Agency conducted audits alongside plant passporting inspections, to ensure that the above requirements are being met.

Large oak trees from professional operators are now subject to post planting inspections to check for OPM at their planting sites as part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) biosecurity regime. 

Operators impacted by this new policy must keep accurate records of the details of those receiving large oak trees, including the delivery address and contact details, and store this information for a minimum of three years to ensure traceability of movements. The information can be recorded using the Post planting Inspections form which can also be found alongside more information on the biosecurity requirements on the Restrictions on trade and movement of oak trees section of the OPM GOV UK webpage.

To help understand the changes, the Forestry Commission has released a video to explain the implications of the rules