Plants: UK Internal Trade
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for the remaining high-risk plant species that are not currently supplied to Northern Ireland from Great Britain to be cleared for supplying.
Answered by Stephen Morgan
Since January 2021 any plants listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 cannot be exported to the EU or moved to Northern Ireland without first undergoing a risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Defra has submitted risk assessment applications for 48 high-risk plant species, with 41 derogations to export approved subject to certain conditions being met. The timeline for the remaining 7 assessments is controlled by the European Commission. There are no plans to submit any further applications until the outcome of the negotiations on an EU-UK SPS agreement is clear.
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