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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the British economy of the control of invasive non-native species; and whether those costs are increasing or decreasing.

The Government recognises the significant threat posed by invasive non-native species to our native wildlife, as well as their cost to the economy. The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International’s report “The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-Native Species on Great Britain”, published in 2010, estimated the cost from these species to be £1.7 billion per annum, which includes both damage caused and the cost of control.

We do not have data to indicate how the cost of control has changed since 2010 but recognising the growing threat posed by these species, the Government launched the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy in 2008. This comprehensive strategy ensures that we concentrate our efforts on prevention and rapid responses to species before they become fully established. For instance, we took early action to address the threats posed by water primrose by banning its sale in 2015, and instigating a successful eradication programme.