Defra and European research funding is supporting the use of DNA-based diagnostics to protect Europe from invasive pests and diseases.

The new project called PORT CHECK is led by CSL and focuses on the use of sensitive molecular diagnostics at the sites of entry for fresh produce and plant materials.

Alien pests and diseases pose an enormous threat to agricultural crops and native flora of EU member states. Global trade in fresh produce and climate change are adding impetus to attacks by pests and diseases from around the world on Europe’s borders.

Measures to prevent inroads by quarantine organisms into Europe have been in place for many years, but now the plant health inspection services have a new weapon in their armoury - on-site molecular diagnostics. The project will demonstrate the first wide scale practical use of on-site polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology for the detection of pests and diseases. The methods are well-proven in the laboratory, but refinements have had to be made to the sampling and DNA extraction methods to transfer the technology to field applications.

The PCR equipment being used was developed originally for countering bio-terrorism. Its advantages over conventional laboratory techniques are speed and portability, giving the plant health inspectors a much greater chance of detecting harmful organisms and preventing their entry into the EU.

PORT CHECK will be carried out by a large consortium of academic and SME research partners in conjunction with government plant health inspection services from across Europe.