Another year passes and another seminar has been and gone ….and what have we learnt???

Well this year the main thing we have learnt … is that its bloody difficult to get people to come to a seminar.

We have advertised the day in plenty of time, we had some fantastic speakers, we had a great venue, we had car parking, we had food …. we had everything sorted – and on top of all the basic good stuff there were also ‘freebies’ and entertainment – BUT – we just couldn’t get people to sign on the dotted line?

Why was this?

Was it because we were charging for tickets? …are people really so hard up that 85 quid was going to put a hole in their company finances??

Was it because we had some controversial speakers? …maybe Mark Avery can be a little forthright in his opinions but surely not so much as to put people off??

Was it because it was Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd that were running the conference? …. have people been ‘over knotweeded…’ ???? It wasn’t a conference about ‘knotweed’ as such – it was a conference about invasive species and environmental issues.

Or …is it a sign that we are all becoming too ‘virtual’ in our approach to life? Are we happier with our i-pads and our smart phones but NOT quite so happy meeting people face to face – one on one?? Is this a sign that we will simply become holographs in the future and never attend anything that requires us to move from our nice insulated offices???

Are we all just way tooooo busy to actually leave the office and attend a function? Are we concerned that if WE leave the office WE will be perceived as ‘slacking’ in some way??

I think continued professional education is vital within a company. It is key for the office team to feel challenged and motivated – vital to make them think, vital to make them see other points of view. This can only be done by getting out of the office and out of your comfort zone. Listen to people with different opinions to yours, you don’t have to agree with them…but just listen and think about why they have arrived at their conclusions – it’s a stimulating experience.

Personally, I love these seminars – I love the preparation and the imagination that is required to make the day a bit ‘different’ and a more ‘memorable’ …but to be honest by the time we had got to the day of the ‘do’ it had been far too draining getting people to join us for the day – and my clearly voiced opinion was…. ‘I’m never doing this again….’

But then dear reader – you get to the actual day of the seminar – the room is full – the speakers are blasting out music, the videos are playing…the jungle plants at the entrance to the hall look amazing….and the day kicks off.

It’s a fantastic buzz to see people enjoying the show.

The presentations were well received the audience loved the day.

Nobody left early…and the feedback has been amazing…

So ….the big question….will we be doing this again next year??

OF COURSE WE WILL.

 Mike C

The Environment Agency Code of Practice – Managing Japanese Knotweed on Development Sites has been the go-to document for over fifteen years for contractors and developers looking to manage Japanese knotweed.

Written by Trevor Renals, the original document was released in 2001 into a development landscape where Japanese knotweed was very much an unknown quantity. Some developers had experience of this plant, and relied on landscape contractors with experience of getting rid of it.

Others paid the price for their lack of knowledge when houses, commercial developments and civil engineering projects were left contaminated with this damaging invasive species after inadequate measures were implemented to stop the plant from spreading.

The Code of Practice laid out land managers’ and contractors’ responsibilities, as well as best practice for dealing with Japanese knotweed surface growth, rhizome and soils containing Japanese knotweed, and introduced many to the concepts of cross-contamination, clean sites, knotweed management plans and methods for remediation.

In the years that followed, specialist companies emerged who were dedicated to dealing with Japanese knotweed and working with housing developers, civil engineers and land owners to minimise the damage that this invasive plant can cause.

The Japanese knotweed Code of Practice was updated as new technologies emerged, including stem injection and soil screening, and the code has remained a relevant and reliable resource throughout.

In 2012, Mike Clough of Japanese Knotweed Solutions brought together a group of long-established invasive species specialists to form what would become the trade body INNSA – a group dedicated to improving standards in the invasive species industry. As part of their drive to ensure that clients receive reliable, consistent performance from invasive species contractors, the INNSA Standards were launched. These best-practice guidelines – based on the requirements laid out in the EA code – provide peace of mind and a demonstration of the quality and expertise of all contractors who work according to these stringent criteria.

In 2016, the Environment Agency withdrew the Japanese Knotweed Code of Practice due to new government guidelines. In order to maintain the key facts of the document and preserve access to the guidance it contained, the document was provided to the leading organisations in the field of invasive species remediation.

After significant work by respected industry figures, in March 2017, INNSA released the new Code of Practice – Managing Japanese Knotweed, which will continue the legacy of the EA Code.

The document will continue to provide guidance for land owners, land managers and contractors In order to best prepare them for works in this field. New information has been added regarding current legislation, pesticides and the Code also includes the INNSA Standards, revised in light of the latest guidance from the Environment Agency.

As the leading body dedicated to the invasive species industry, INNSA will continue to update and maintain the Code in the public domain for the good of the industry, our members and their clients.

Chris Oliver, Operations Manager, Japanese Knotweed Solutions

In the area where I live we are charged for the removal of garden waste bins. This is a relatively new development and I know that it winds a lot of people up. However, I have thought about it and actually I don’t mind this – even though we do have a garden, and it’s going to cost me money.

I like tax (although there would be a limit to that statement). Hear me out – I am serious.

Taxes facilitate the pooling of resources and group buying power, and can result in ambitious projects that wouldn’t otherwise have been put in place (e.g. the railways, the National Grid, motorways, the internet). Council taxes pay for policing and fire service, which we hope never to need, but which we expect to be able to rely upon.

Tax also allows vulnerable people to be protected when they can’t afford it (the sick, the disabled, pensioners, for example).

If a referendum were held in my area to increase council taxes by 5% to emergency services, social care and services for the community, I would vote in favour – though I am lucky enough to be able to afford the £50 or so a year that it would cost. If such a referendum was passed, the local council would have millions of pounds more to spend (though hopefully not on boardroom tables and Beyoncé concerts).

But instead of putting this to a vote, my council has decided to make many of its services elective for those who need and/or can afford them. Again, I am in favour of this for non-essential services, as it allows the council to continue to increase its budget in line with government restrictions, but increase the proportion of that budget it can spend on more essential services like social care which people aren’t generally in the position to pay for on their own.

The only drawbacks that I see about charging for green bins are that firstly, it provides a disincentive to people for having gardens. However, the cost of a green bin or a trip to the tip relative to paying for your garden to be paved over is very small – and of course, you could always compost more, and use waste more creatively to create habitats or garden features.

The other drawback is increased fly-tipping, which is already reaching epidemic levels in UK towns and cities due to the increased costs of sending material to landfill. This is more of a problem, but actually an indirect one – as any householder with a vehicle can tip green waste free of charge. The problem is more likely to arise out of situations where householders look for cheaper disposal solutions and end up driven in to the arms of cowboy waste disposers – who absolutely are a cause of problems – including the spread of Japanese knotweed.

Unfortunately, it has always been the case the Japanese knotweed is a problem for individuals rather than taxpayers at large; our chance to eradicate this problem completely has long since passed.

Now, with mortgage lenders requiring insurance-backed guarantees before they lend on properties with Japanese knotweed, there is much more of a widespread burden on UK householders to pay for Japanese knotweed treatment. Unfortunately, this can be quite a lot more expensive than a green bin disposal, and most people face the costs on their own, through no fault of their own.

Chris Oliver, Operations Manager, Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd

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