The certification of plant stocks is essential for the supply of healthy plants and vitally important to fruit growers. Our plants are grown under the rules of the Fruit Propagation Certification Scheme (FPCS) and the APHA Plant Health and Seeds Inspectors (PHSI) inspect our crops at least once a year to check they meet the standards set out in the guides. Assessments are normally made on the basis of visual examinations, but samples may be taken for laboratory analysis to get a definitive diagnosis.
If the crop meets all the conditions set out in the guides, they’ll get FPCS certification. Crops which cannot meet the entry requirements for any FPCS grades are designated CAC which means that they meet simpler standards.
The Principles of Certification
- The site must meet rotational and isolation requirements.
- The parent material is derived from virus indexed pedigree stocks and meets the scheme specifications.
- No disease masking pesticides are allowed (especially relevant to Blackspot and Raspberry Root Rot).
- Every mother plant is inspected twice during the growing season by trained inspectors.
- Any suspect plants are sent to the laboratory for further testing.
- There are published tolerances for any non-quarantine pest and diseases which must not be exceeded.
The following charges are added to each plant invoice:
Strawberries £5.66 per 1000 plant
Certification is a genuine safeguard but it is not a guarantee.
Certification Grades
FPCS – Certified Stock
Virus Tested Pedigree Mother Plants are produced by the Nuclear Stock Association (NSA) at East Malling by testing for all important viruses, pests and diseases using a full range of PCR and graft based tests. This Virus Indexed pre basic material is then used by commercial propagators to produce Basic (Grades 1 to 5) certified.
FPCS – Approved Health
When a variety is first released and before pedigree material is available from the NSA we offer stocks that have been entered and inspected at the Approved Health Grade. This grade is part of the FPCS and uses the same criteria as the Certificate Grade with regard to the health of the stocks but offers no safeguard with regards to trueness to type.
Plant Passport
When the stringent requirements of FPCS are not met, Rubus and Strawberries are inspected once only by APHA against a much reduced set of criteria in order to meet the EU Plant Passport standard (CAC).
Integrated Pest Management
In response to the continued loss of active ingredients in pesticides due to EU legislation, R.W. Walpole Ltd have introduced the routine and intensive use of predatory insects to assist in the control of Two Spotted Mite, Aphid and Tarsonemid Mite.
For full details of the FPCS scheme visit: gov.uk/guidance/fruit-propagation-certification-scheme
For full details of the EU Plant Passport scheme visit: gov.uk/guidance/issuing-plant-passports-to-trade-plants-in-the-eu
Research and Development
In order to be able offer all our customers ever better varieties we need to invest and support non-proprietary breeding programmes. R W Walpole Ltd are actively involved in the East Malling Strawberry breeding Club, the UK Raspberry Breeding Consortium at JHI and the Hansabred Gmbh & Co Ltd European breeding initiative in Dresden. In addition our commitment to Meiosis Ltd offers us the opportunity to work with the leading breeding programmes from around the world.