To meet the Government’s tree planting goals, we are going to need to import seeds and young trees until domestic capacity increases. This carries the risks of pests and diseases being introduced. We welcome the work Defra and the Forestry Commission are doing to tighten biosecurity and the additional funding that has been provided to support this work. However, we heard concerns that delays in introducing checks at the border, with checks instead occurring at the place of destination, increases the risk of pests and diseases being spread before they are detected. We recommend that Defra works with the Animal & Plant Health Agency to review the import controls are in place to ensure they prevent the spread of plant diseases and pests. The Government must ensure that all checks on imports of plants and trees are in place at the border from 1 July 2022.