The world’s leading authorities on plant health and biosecurity will come together for the world’s first ever International Plant Health Conference (IPHC), co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and Defra.

More than 500 policymakers, academics and experts from over 74 countries will convene at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London to address current and future plant health challenges, including the impacts of climate change, food security, environmental protection, facilitating safe trade, and new pest and disease pathways, such as e-commerce. Held on 21-23 September, delegates will share knowledge and discuss global scientific, technical and regulatory issues, alongside actions to tackle these existential threats to our society, economy and environment.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that each year up to 40 percent of global crop production is lost to plant diseases, costing the agricultural trade over USD 220 billion, whilst invasive insects cause losses of at least USD 70 billion. The risks to food security, international trade, biodiversity and our precious natural environment as a result of current and future outbreaks are all too real. Strengthening global standards of biosecurity, applying the IPPC and international plant health standards, as well as fostering greater international collaboration and raising public awareness and engagement with these challenges will be paramount to safeguard the global economy and environment for generations to come.

Nicola Spence, United Kingdom Chief Plant Health Officer, said:

Plant health and biosecurity are fundamental to life on Earth. Plants provide 80 percent of the food we eat and 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. In a changing climate, ensuring their continued health and vitality will be critical to safeguarding food security, safe international trade and a thriving natural environment for future generations.

The United Kingdom upholds amongst the highest standards of biosecurity in Europe but there is much more to do to secure our future resilience – here and around the world. I look forward to coming together with international experts from a range of disciplines to discuss how to tackle the varied and mounting challenges facing our precious plant life.

Jingyuan Xia, Director of Plant Production and Protection Division said:

Climate change and human actions have altered ecosystems and created new niches where plant pests and diseases can thrive. When combatting pests and diseases, farmers should adopt, and policymakers should encourage the use of, environment-friendly methods such as integrated pest management.

Applying international plant health standards helps reduce the use of pesticides and poisonous substances, which kill pollinators, natural pest enemies and organisms crucial for a healthy environment. These result in healthier crops with less residues, leading to better human, plant and animal health.’’

Osama El-Lissy, Secretary, International Plant Protection Convention, said:

The first International Plant Health Conference is an important advancement of our work in protecting plants from pests and diseases. We are very pleased to partner with Defra who shares FAO’s and IPPC’s common goals. We cannot underestimate the impact that plant pests and diseases have on global food security, livelihoods, the environment and economies.

To achieve our goals and contribute to food security, protect the environment and facilitate safe trade, I encourage donors and governments to invest in building plant health capacity, research and outreach. Let us keep our collective efforts going and take bold action to sustain the momentum. When we protect plants, we protect our health and our lives.

Across the three days of the IPHC, plenary sessions will explore a range of scientific, regulatory and technical issues, including:

• Regional perspectives on tackling ongoing pest and disease outbreaks, including Xylella fastidiosa, fall armyworm and coconut rhinoceros beetle.
• How to increase the use of electronic phytosanitary certificates to make trade safer, faster and cheaper.
• The development and adoption of early warning systems for pests and diseases to increase vigilance and preparedness for future outbreaks.

Moreover, the IPHC aims to promote positive behavioural change through greater public engagement with biosecurity issues. For example, the importance of not bringing home plants, trees, fruit and seeds from overseas, as doing so could inadvertently cause pests, diseases and invasive species to be introduced or to spread in new areas. This aligns with the United Kingdom Government’s long-running ‘Don’t Risk It!’ campaign, which featured on the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Gold Medal-winning stand at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.

Protecting plant health is critical in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Healthy plants contribute to achieving food security for all (SDG 2 Zero Hunger) and promotes responsible food consumption and production (SDG 12). Protecting plants helps protect biodiversity and the environment from the impact of plant pests (SDG 13 and 15), and facilitates safe trade, in turn providing decent work and boosting economic growth (SDG 8). The International Plant Health Conference supports the delivery of the IPPC Strategic Framework 2020-2030.

For more information, visit the International Plant Health Conference website.

The last two weeks have been unprecedented for many people across the country following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Throughout the period of national mourning, we have continued our essential work, ensuring Maintenance Loan payments are being made to students as they start university or college. We have paid £1bn of Maintenance Loan funding to students since the beginning of September*, with payments continuing over the coming weeks as the academic year gets underway.

We were scheduled to make our largest payment of the first term on Monday (19 September). However, due to the Bank Holiday and the historic events taking place, we brought this forward, making more than 300,000 payments, to the value of £655m, last Friday (16 September). In some cases, students had yet to enrol or their confirmation of attendance had not been received from their university or college, so haven’t yet received their funding. Further payments will be made today and over the coming weeks as we receive information from the education providers.

We remain on track to increase the number of students we have processed and ready to pay by term start – enabling them to invest in their futures through access to higher and further education.

It will come as no surprise that September remains our busiest time and this is reflected in the high demand for our contact services, with lots of customers wanting to speak to us. To help students get quick access to the information they need, we have added a ‘common questions’ area to their online accounts. Students are advised to check here for answers to their questions first, instead of contacting us, to avoid having to wait to speak to an advisor.

We understand that many students will be looking forward to starting the new term and will be keen to know what stage their payment is at. The good news is that they can also check this easily via their online accounts. This is by far the fastest way for students to get an update on their payment’s progress – Watch our short film below to find out more.

payment status film

Similarly, students can use their accounts to update details, such as their bank account information or term time address or to submit any outstanding evidence they have been asked for.

In addition, we have made a wide range of information available online that students can access at any time to help them with their questions about payment or student finance more generally.

As we get closer to term start, there may still be students who are only applying now and may have questions about when they will get their funding. The message to eligible students in this position is not to worry! While it can take six to eight weeks to process an application, our team will do their best to make sure they have some funding in place as soon as possible, by awarding the minimum Maintenance Loan first, followed by a top-up payment if they are entitled to more funding. Find out more about applying late online.

Throughout the rest of the month, we will make the remainder of Maintenance Loan payments to students before switching our attention to paying Tuition Fees to Higher Education Providers on their behalf.

To those who are starting university or college over the next couple of weeks, I’d like to wish you the best of luck from the team here at SLC and we look forward to supporting you as you progress through your studies.

*Please note these are provisional figures. Full year figures are published in our Student Support for Higher Education statistical release which will be published on 24 November.