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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the penetration of foreign insects into the UK; and if he will make a statement.

The Government undertakes systematic screening of pest and disease risks which may be introduced through trade. We carry out risk-based inspections at our borders to prevent the entry of such pests. Our inspectors are highly effective in comparison to their peers: the UK consistently makes more interceptions of harmful organisms than any other EU member state (around 40% of the total for the EU). We work to stop pests and diseases before they arrive through international surveillance to spot new risks, take action at the border with stringent biosecurity checks on plant imports, and have robust contingency plans to tackle the pests and diseases that do make it through.

The Asian Hornet poses a significant threat to native wildlife and is listed as a key species within the GB invasive non-native species strategy framework. As part of this, Defra devised a joint Asian Hornet contingency plan which is the only national scale contingency plan in the EU for an invasive species outside plant and animal health. Early detection is vitally important to the success of the plan. We have established an alert system which allows the public to report sightings which are then identified by the National Bee Unit (NBU). There is also a network of sentinel apiaries that carry out active surveillance for the species.