Sir Roger Gale
Member of Parliament for Herne Bay and Sandwich (including West Thanet)
 

Defra Minister Lord (John) Gardiner will be visiting Kent this (Tuesday) afternoon to view the spread of the invasive plant  American Skunk Cabbage.

 

This follows a Lords and Commons presentation this morning during which the Minister and experts outlined the very real dangers posed to our natural habitats by invasive non-native species of plants (such as Skunk Cabbage, Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, insects like Asian Hornets and, of course, rodents like grey squirrels) ,

 

Speaking from the House after the meeting North Thanet`s MP, Sir Roger Gale, said:

 

“Imoported plants and wildlife are jeopardising the ecology of the United Kingdom and causing real damage on land and to our ponds and watercourses.  Instead of destroying unwanted pond plants, for example, people have a habit of releasing them into the wild in the naïve belief that they are `good for the environment ` when in fact they can spread like wildfire and cause immense damage, choking rivers and streams and making them uninhabitable for fish and native aquatic plant and insect species.

 

The very clear message is “don`t release imported species into the wild” and, to holidaymakers, “ Be plant – wise .Don`t bring back that `pretty` wild plant from abroad in your spongebag”! There are civil and criminal offences that carry warnings, fines and even terms of imprisonment for actions that threaten the bio-diversity of the UK.

 

Government action involves research and resources but this is one area where we can all take direct action to help to contain and eradicate the problem”

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