Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of risk posed to the UK from the spread of African swine fever; whether he has introduced biosecurity and border checks to minimise such risk; and if he will make a statement.

Managing the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF) remains a key UK priority. Whilst we have never had an outbreak of ASF in the UK, we continue to prepare for the eventuality of an outbreak.

Given the deteriorating epidemiological situation in Europe, DEFRA has commissioned an update to the 2018 risk assessment which looked at the risk of ASF entering Great Britain from the European Union via movement of humans, animals or animal products. The risk assessment has concluded that the risk to GB has remained the same as in 2018. The department is looking at a range of mitigations alongside this, including targeted interventions at the border.