Asked by: Lord Bowness (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to allow garden centres and plant nurseries to open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is aware of the challenging position facing garden centres and plant nurseries during this period.
Nurseries growing plants for sale to other retail outlets or online to the public are 'open' and accessible by staff for plant care and maintenance purposes. They are, however, like garden centres, closed to the public to aid the prevention of spread of COVID-19.
The Government is keeping the situation on Garden Centres under review, but concluded last week that it was too early to ease any restrictions on such retail environments. We will continue to work closely with representatives from the horticulture supply chain to understand what short-term and long-term support the sector as a whole needs. We are ready to respond to emerging issues quickly and effectively. Public health must be at the heart of the difficult decisions the Government is having to take at this time.