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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many plant health inspection staff were employed at UK Border Control Posts in (a) England and (b) Wales as of 10 December 2024.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has 162 plant health inspectors in post covering England and Wales.

This number includes all inspectors working at border control points (BCPs), inspection centres and control points. This number cannot be broken down to specify the number of inspectors specifically at BCPs because inspectors often cover multiple sites. The inspectors cover all work for the EU, and the rest of the world including work at ports and inland.

The number does not include new inspectors which APHA is currently onboarding or who are currently at the job offer stage of recruitment.