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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent review her Department has conducted of the threat posed to UK agriculture by invasive species; and if she will make a statement.

Defra commissioned Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International to produce a report, entitled “The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-native Species on Great Britain”, which was published in 2010. The report sets out the economic impacts of invasive non-native species to a range of sectors, including agriculture.

The Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat undertakes risk assessments on potentially invasive non-native species and has completed 75 to date. These risk assessments consider the impacts on a wide range of sectors including agriculture.

An updated Great Britain Invasive Non-native Species Strategy was published in August which sets out a comprehensive framework for delivering action to address the impacts from these species.