Bark detective: dog trained to sniff out UK tree disease

Ivor, a cocker spaniel labrador cross, achieved an 89% first-time detection rate of Phytophthora ramorum. Photograph: Sara Porter

Sniffer dogs are usually found looking for contraband at airports and train stations, but the UK government is now dispatching trained hounds to find forest-harming pests.

A dog has been used for the first time in the UK to successfully identify tree disease. Researchers from Forest Research used a trained spanador – a cocker spaniel labrador cross – to find the tree pathogen Phytophthora ramorum.