Asian Hornet nests in Jersey (FOI)

Request

A

Please advise of the following infromation in respect of Asian Hornet nests in Jersey: 

Nest number, nest location, date and time of identification of nest location, date and time of nest removal, method of removal, cost of specialist services used such as tree climbers pest control.

B

Please provide the risk assessment for each tree climb along with qualifications required for each tree climber.

Response

A

The attached nest destruction spreadsheets detail the requested information for 2021 to 5 September 2023.

Nest Destruction data.xlsx

The Asian Hornet nest log records the destruction of the nest and not how the nest was removed, therefore, this information is not held and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.  

It should be noted that some of the destroyed nests remain in place due to the accessibility of their location, resources and the number of Asian Hornet nests being identified.

Some nest location information has been redacted in accordance with Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

The Government of Jersey does not record the time that the nest was discovered, therefore, this information is not held and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

The following table provides the total costs for specialist services such as hoists and pest control for 2021 to 5 September 2023. 

The Government of Jersey does not maintain a record of staff time costs in relation to the removal of Asian Hornet nests since this is considered to be business as usual.  Therefore, this information is not held and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

B

The Government of Jersey’s Forestry Team assisted with some nest treatment and removals that required tree climbs.  

There are currently no qualifications for accessing a tree and destroying Asian Hornets nests as Jersey was the first place in the United Kingdom to have these pests and central training does not yet cover this type of work.    

The process for the destruction and removal of Asian Hornets nests has been developed on a case by case basis as there were no previous guidelines to follow and any additional safety measures were incorporated into the process as required.

Further training regarding the use of pesticides was provided to the Forestry Team and any relevant parties involved with the treatment of nests.

The Forestry team is required to hold or be working towards the following qualifications.

• Unit 201 – Maintenance of the Chainsaw and Cutting System & Cross-Cut Timber Using a Chainsaw (CS30)
• Unit 202 – Fell and Process Trees up to 380mm (CS31)
• Unit 301 – Fell and Process Trees over 380mm (Formerly Cs32/33)
• Unit 206 – Access a Tree Using a Rope and Harness (Formerly Cs38)
• Unit 306 – Carry out Aerial Rescue Operations (Formerly Cs38)
• Unit 308- Use of a chainsaw from a rope and harness (Formerly Cs39)
• LANTRA First aid + Forestry Certificate
• NPTC Use of brushwood chipper
• Induction training / Health and Safety training /manual handling
• MEWP (IPAF, CITB, Lantra, NPTC/C&G etc.)
• Wood-chipper
• Traffic works
• Pesticides PA1/6

As part of Health and Safety requirements all tree surgeons across the island are required to carry out refresher courses every five years.  

Information regarding the specific qualifications held by each member of the Forestry Team is exempt from release under Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

The Government of Jersey started to use an extendable lance in relation to the destruction of nests from the middle of the summer in 2022 which reduced the need for tree climbs.

Following the introduction of the extendable lance, tree climbing services have only been required once in 2023 up to 5 September 2023 however, this involved the treatment of three nests.  

The Forestry Team ceased to assist with the removal and destruction of the nests in September 2022 due to resources availability and the number of nests, therefore, a commercial tree climbing service provider was used.

The tree climbing services provided by the Forestry Team followed a similar process on each occasion and this type of work is covered by the Forestry Team’s generic risk assessment. 

A copy of the generic risk assessments and any further risk assessments held by the Forestry Team, in relation to Asian Hornet nests have been provided.

Risk Assessments.pdf

Personal information, including nest location details, have been redacted or removed in accordance with Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

It should be noted that some of the risk assessments were completed on site and have not been retained.  Therefore, this information is not held and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

The commercial tree climbing service providers are responsible for carrying out their risk assessments in relation to the service that they provide.  Therefore, this information is not held and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.

The Biosecurity team is considering other tree climbing resources going forward.

Articles applied

Article 10 - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding information

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.

(2) If a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority and –

(a) the information is absolutely exempt information or qualified exempt information; or

(b) if the authority does not hold the information, the information would be absolutely exempt information or qualified exempt information if it had held it, the authority may refuse to inform the applicant whether or not it holds the information if it is satisfied that, in all the circumstances of the case, it is in the public interest to do so.

(3) If a scheduled public authority so refuses –

(a) it shall be taken for the purpose of this Law to have refused to supply the information requested on the ground that it is absolutely exempt information; and

(b) it need not inform the applicant of the specific ground upon which it is refusing the request or, if the authority does not hold the information, the specific ground upon which it would have refused the request had it held the information.

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.