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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2026 to Question 2218 Seeds: Imports, what measures is the government taking to safeguard domestic agriculture and horticulture from the risk of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and invasive species from imported into the UK via seeds sourced from online marketplaces.

Seeds purchased online from a non-UK seller are usually imported into the UK through large courier companies. They arrive and are sorted at the following airports and hubs: East Midlands, Heathrow, Stanstead, Coventry Hub.

At all these sites there is a schedule of inspections to inspect seeds and other planting material to ensure that the appropriate documentation has been provided and to conduct laboratory testing to ensure freedom from quarantine pest and disease. There are regular interceptions of consignments that do not meet the required documentation and physical testing. These consignments are, as a rule, destroyed or, where considered appropriate, refused customs clearance and returned to the country of export.

For seeds that have been imported and are then traded ‘inland’ (from one UK business to another), there is a requirement for the seller to be authorised as a plant passporter, and with this registration there is an obligation to ensure that the seeds they are selling meet the UK plant health biosecurity requirements. If a seller is not registered as a plant passporter and is trading on online platforms, the seller is contacted and notified that they need to be authorised as a plant passporter. If the seller does not register following this request, the online platform is asked to remove the seller’s listings.