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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which species on the list of invasive alien species of Union concern are covered under UK Pathway Action Plans.

Pathway action plans (PAPs) are complete or in progress for angling, boating and zoos and aquaria sectors. There are also campaigns to reduce the spread of aquatic species generally (Check, Clean, Dry), and to reduce the risk of aquatic ornamental plants escaping into the wild (Be Plant Wise). These have been prioritised based on the threat posed to the UK by a much wider group of invasive non-native species than those listed as being of Union concern, including a group of freshwater species from the Ponto-Caspian region in south-east Europe which are not listed as they are native to part of the EU.

Of the listed species, the angling and boating PAPs should help to reduce the risk of spread of a number of listed aquatic plants (e.g. curly waterweed and green cabomba) while the Be Plant Wise awareness raising campaign is aimed at reducing escapes of ornamental plants (e.g. water hyacinth, floating pennywort, Nuttall's waterweed, broadleaf watermilfoil, water lettuce, Salvinia moss) and the zoos and aquaria PAP aims to reduce the risk of zoo and aquaria escapes such as Pallas's squirrel, small Asian mongoose, coati, raccoon, fox squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, sacred ibis and raccoon dog.