Advanced tech boosts fight against animal and plant disease
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-08)

£10 million in new Government funding for surveillance programme will further strengthen the country’s biosecurity to protect animals, plants, people and trade.

The fight against pests and diseases, which can cost the UK economy billions of pounds, has been stepped up today (Thursday 8 May) with £10m of new funding announced for surveillance projects.

The Genomics for Animal and Plant Disease Consortium (GAP-DC) project led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency will undertake surveillance across animal, plant and aquatic environments, using advanced genome sequencing technologies – a method that reads the complete genetic code of a living organism, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, or animals – to detect, identify and track pathogens with precision.

For example, when avian influenza is found in UK poultry, genome sequencing can help confirm the virus type, trace its spread, and detect any mutations, supporting disease control measures.

The UK faces significant and growing economic threats from pests and diseases affecting agriculture, livestock, and the environment. Invasive species alone cost the UK economy an estimated £4 billion annually, while plant pathogens and pests contribute to substantial crop losses.

Ash dieback is predicated to cost £15 billion to the UK over coming decades and livestock disease such as avian influenza can have devastating financial and societal consequences, and has been estimated to cost the poultry meat sector more than £100m over a two-year period.

APHA Interim Chief Executive Dr Jenny Stewart said:

“Disease presents a significant risk to our farmers, global trade and human health.

“This vital funding and collaboration with world leading experts will help APHA identify and tackle disease risk more effectively.

“This research will lead to significantly advanced surveillance capabilities to protect UK borders from new and existing threats.”

Research to be undertaken in collaboration with seven expert partners will include a focus on increasing the speed of pathogen detection at our borders, addressing new and re-emerging disease outbreaks, developing new strategies to control and mitigate endemic disease, and an improved approach to working with stakeholders and the community. It will also investigate disease spillover from wild animals and plants – when a virus moves from one species to other, such as the transmission of the COVID-19 virus from bats to humans.

The £10 million of new funding provided by Defra and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will strengthen pathogen detection across the UK over the next two years and help protect the UK economy, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

The announcement comes during National Plant Health Week (5-12 May 2025), an annual designated week of action to raise public awareness and engagement on how to keep our plants healthy, led by Defra in partnership with 32 organisations, including the Royal Horticultural Society, the Woodland Trust and the Horticultural Trades Association.

Additional information:
- APHA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs), the Welsh Government (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/welsh-government), and the Scottish Government (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/the-scottish-government), which employs around 3,600 staff, based at various sites across the UK.
- The GAP-DC project will help APHA to get a better understanding of new sequencing technologies and platforms available in genomic surveillance so that we can test more effectively.
- The project is supported by £7 million of funding from Defra and £3m from UKRI.
- A full list of partners involved in the project is below:
-Animal and Plant Health Agency (lead)

Defra

UKRI

Forest Research

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)

The Pirbright Institute

Fera Science

Royal Veterinary College

Forest Research Head of Pathology Dr Lisa Ward said:

“Forest Research is internationally renowned for the provision of science, research, evidence, data and services for the support of sustainable forestry.

“The genomic methods being developed under the GAP DC project are essential to future proof Forest Research’s work on monitoring the health of our trees by enhancing early pathogen detection, allowing rapid response and more effective disease control.”

Royal Veterinary College Vice Principal for Research and Innovation Professor Oliver Pybus said:

“The Royal Veterinary College is pleased to contribute its expertise in infectious disease genomics and animal health to GAP-DC.

“The consortium will further strengthen the UK’s position as a world-leader in genomic surveillance for animal and plant pathogens”

Cefas Animal and Human Health Science Lead Professor David Bass said:

“Cefas, an Executive Agency of Defra, has diverse expertise in marine and freshwater science, working for healthy and productive oceans, seas, and rivers, and safe and sustainable seafood.

“Genomic methods for pathogen surveillance and understanding the health of aquatic organisms are central to this mission, so we greatly value our participation in GAP-DC, and contributing to the UK’s excellence and innovation in pathogen genomics.”
- To find out more about the project, visit the GAP-DC website (https://www.gapdc.org/).