- Sniffer dogs are being deployed in an innovative programme to safeguard Britain 's gardens, landscapes, and forestry from devastating plant diseases and pests.
- Government agencies are collaborating with Cape-SPC, a specialist canine detection firm, to harness dogs ' acute sense of smell for pinpointing plant health threats.
- The dogs are being trained to detect specific threats, including Phytophthora ramorum, a highly destructive fungal-like organism, and Ips typographus, the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle.
- Officials warn that an uncontrolled spread of these pests could inflict significant damage upon the British forestry and timber industries.
- This initiative aims to speed up the detection of hidden pests, with successful proof of concept leading to plans for scaling up the use of these dogs in operational settings.
IN FULL
Sniffer dogs trained to save British trees from ‘highly destructive’ diseases
