Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the damage caused by the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle to the UK's forests.

We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK.

The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a serious pest on spruce in Europe and could cause significant damage to Britain’s forestry and timber industries. The beetle is primarily a secondary pest, preferring stressed or weakened trees. However, under the right environmental conditions, beetle numbers can increase enough to result in attacks on healthy trees.

Ips typographus is a priority, regulated pest with a surveillance programme and contingency plan in place. The pest risk analysis for Ips typographus that provided the basis for the current entry of the pest on the UK Plant Health Risk Register, is being updated and will be issued for consultation shortly.

In 2018 a breeding population of Ips typographus was first confirmed in Kent, as part of routine surveillance by the Forestry Commission. Further findings have been identified in the South-East of England in 2021-23. Evidence demonstrates that outbreaks have resulted from natural dispersal (blow over) of the pest from the continent. There is no evidence of within-UK spread, or of impacts on healthy spruce in the UK.

All outbreak sites are subject to robust eradication action, and a demarcated area is in place restricting the movement and felling of susceptible material. Monitoring of the 2018 outbreak indicates that eradication action on that site has been successful.

We continue to fund research into the impact and spread of Ips typographus. Over the longer term, the Forestry Commission is encouraging landowners to remove susceptible spruce from the South-East and replant with other species. Financial support is available for this through the Tree Health Pilot.