Don has worked in plant health for Fera and its predecessors for nearly 30 years and in that time has worked in and developed knowledge and expertise across a wide range of plant health activities.  He has managed the Fera Plant Clinic, organised and delivered programmes of technical training for UK plant health inspectors, organised national surveys, provided advice on outbreaks of harmful plant pests, and prepared plant pest risk analysis for Defra.

Over the last 15 years he has also delivered several EU-funded capacity building projects, and delivered more than 50 training courses for plant health officials from EU member states and beyond under the EU Better Training for Safer Food initiative on areas such as Import Controls, Potato Quarantine Controls, Surveillance and Outbreak Management, Control of Wood Packaging Materials, and New and Emerging Plant Health Risks.