PHC wins tree care trial

Plant Health Care PLC
31 January 2005


For immediate release: 31 January 2005


                        PHC wins Moscow tree care trial
                                        

Plant Health Care plc ('PHC' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of natural
products for plants and soil, has been invited by the City of Moscow authorities
to tackle its tree survival rate problem.

Plant Health Care BV, the Dutch subsidiary of PHC plc, has been awarded a
12-month contract by the Dutch Ministry of Economics in collaboration with the
City of Moscow to undertake a study and develop a plan aimed at combating tree
loss in Moscow. The contract was awarded on a joint venture basis and PHC will
be working with two other Dutch companies and Wageningen University. Under the
terms of the contract PHC has received €120,000 from the Dutch Ministry to
undertake the study.

As in most large cities, trees in Moscow suffer greatly from the combination of
air pollution, de-icing salts and limited organic matter in the soil. Keeping
trees alive is considered an urban 'quality of life factor' and requires
considerable resources.

Over the past few years the City of Moscow has been executing a major
tree-planting project with 60,000 young trees planted annually. Unfortunately,
some 80% of the trees died within one year, primarily because of poor planting
sites, deficient soil and poor environmental conditions.

The City of Moscow intends to spend €1.5 million on tree planting and soil
improvement over the next five years. Subject to the outcome of the 12 month
contract and evaluation this may lead to an ongoing relationship with the City
of Moscow from which PHC may be in a position to claim a reasonably significant
portion of the City of Moscow's indicative spend.

Pius Floris Managing Director of PHC's Netherlands subsidiary and leader of the
Moscow programme, stated: 'By adding Plant Health Care's mycorrhizal fungal
spores and soil bacteria into the planting holes, planting losses can be reduced
from 80% to 2-4%. This represents considerable monetary and environmental
savings to the City of Moscow.'

John Brady, CEO of Plant Health Care plc said: 'Worldwide research and field
studies have shown that when PHC's mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria are added
to the root system of trees they develop a very high salt resistance and their
health improves dramatically. New York City Parks have been a customer of ours
for some time and trials are ongoing in London and we are confident that the
results from this challenging assignment in Moscow will trigger the interest of
other cities worldwide that have similar problems, and create a large potential
market for our products and technology.'

For further information:

Plant Health Care plc              Tavistock Communications
John Brady, CEO                    Jeremy Carey/Katy Pratt
Tel: [phone]              Tel: [phone]
                                   Email: [e-mail]


Notes to Editors

The solution consists of the following elements:

   • Establishment of composting plants for organic waste from the city parks
   • Application of compost mixed with native soil in new planting holes
   • Addition of PHC mycorrhizae and sufficient amounts of soil bacteria to
     the soil
   • Education of the staff of Moscow's planting programme in nursery and
     planting practices


Background on the importance of 'urban forestation'

International research has shown that even the smallest particles (primarily
from car emissions) can be absorbed by city tree leaves. Fine particles are
considered to be a key cause of lung problems affecting city inhabitants. With
rain, the particles end up in the sewage system, leaving a clean tree that
starts the air-purification process all over again. The only requirement that
trees have is that they are able to grow in a healthy soil. Most urban trees do
not grow in a natural setting and often lack water, minerals and biological
conditions that are necessary to fulfil their functions properly. Plant Health
Care aims to improve trees living conditions so that they are both healthy and
aesthetically pleasing and capable of performing this important purification
process.

About Plant Health Care

Plant Health Care plc (PHC) is a leading provider of natural products for plants
and soil. Established in 1995 in Pittsburgh, PA, PHC currently has approximately
60 employees and has operations in the U.S., Mexico, the United Kingdom and the
Netherlands with technical support in Austria. The Group has two principal
operating subsidiaries in the U.S. - PHC Inc., (PA) and PHC Reclamation. The
Company listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in July 2004.

PHC's products are aimed at the horticulture, agriculture, turf grass,
commercial landscaping, forestry and land reclamation industries and are
environmentally beneficial and on the whole, more cost effective than solely
using synthetic chemicals. Through the commercialization of these products, PHC
is capitalizing on current long-term trends toward natural systems and
biological products for plant care and soil and water management uses.





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