Looking after members interests.

[Christian]

One wonders what the justification is for the current regime for imports. I seem to recall the RHS arguing for stricter regulations post Brexit to reduce the threat posed from imported plant diseases and pests - but is what is being implemented proportionate to this aim? In how far were bodies representing horticultural trade and practice consulted when the new rules were being written? Were niche societies being heard, whose members rely on international exchange of plants or seeds to keep a hobby viable? What would it mean if we lost the expertise of specialist amateur growers to UK horticulture? That quote from the Times does sound feeble, but there are substantial questions to ask, given that the restrictions posed on private growers and small-scale traders are so profound.