“The UK has significantly underestimated the scale of the threat. This is a huge problem in public and political awareness. People are absolutely paralysed with fear of diseases like Ebola, but while they are extremely dangerous, the need to tackle crop diseases is just as pressing.
“We are not spending enough on research, on training, on surveillance and on biosecurity.”
Professor Sarah Gurr, of the University of Exeter and Rothamsted Research, in The Independent
The study says that the rise of deadly pests poses a threat to the world’s entire food system.
It adds that the UK is among the most vulnerable countries.
And it forecasts that food-growing nations including the UK could be “overwhelmed” by pests within the next 30 years, as climate change and new variants help them spread.
The study adds that fungi pose the biggest threat both globally and in the UK, where they threaten wheat and potato harvests.
It warns that if the spread continues at the current rate, a significant portion of the biggest food-producing countries will become “saturated” - where crops simply will not be able to accommodate any more pests - by the middle of the century
The UK, the US, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, India and China are all among those said to be at risk.
New report's top four threats
Septoria leaf blotch: Probably the biggest threat to British wheat. The fungus already decimates between 10 per cent and 30 per cent of the UK wheat crop.
Blumeria graminis: This fungus causes a powdery mildew on wheat and other cereals. It is already present in the UK but expected to spread dramatically.
Potato cyst nematode: These roundworms live on the roots of potatoes and tomatoes and their larvae infect the roots.
Citrus tristeza virus: Although not a problem in the UK, where citrus plants such as oranges and lemons are not grown, this virus – meaning “sadness” in Portuguese – has reached at least 105 countries.
Protecting the crop protection toolbox:
Find out about our Healthy Harvest campaign here.