PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Biosecurity - 4 December 2024 (Commons/Westminster Hall)

I beg to move,

That this House has considered biosecurity.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain, for my first time leading a Westminster Hall debate.

Hon. Members may wonder why I have secured a debate on such a wide-ranging issue as biosecurity. Our changing climate means that new diseases can thrive here in the UK, and more interconnected supply chains put unprecedented pressure on our borders. Stability is vital for food security and economic growth, but biohazards can undermine our vital horticulture and agriculture sectors. These risks are not abstract concepts but tangible realties for the communities we represent. I thank hon. Members, including my hon. Friend the Minister, for their support since being elected, because I have faced such biosecurity threats in the South Norfolk constituency.

I bring this matter to the House today because South Norfolk has been directly affected. Many will recall the bluetongue outbreak first identified in Haddiscoe on 26 August this year and the chaos wrought by the largest avian influenza outbreak in 2022-23. I will press the Minister on a number of points, including the need to strengthen our border controls, reappraise the insurance industry’s practices, improve the preparedness of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and collaborate closer with trade bodies. I commend the Government on the much-needed investment of £208 million to transform our biosecurity at the Weybridge site, which is an essential step forward.

Hon. Members will remember the recent bluetongue outbreak, which began in my constituency. It was first identified in the small village of Haddiscoe, and a 20 km temporary control zone was swiftly established, but the situation sadly escalated. By 30 August, Norfolk and Suffolk were placed under restriction zones, and on 2 September they were extended to Essex. By mid-November, control zones stretched from Lowestoft to Southampton, and from Brighton to Scarborough. Some infected animals may experience productivity issues, including a reduced milk yield. In the most severe cases, the disease will cause abortions, malformations and fatalities. However, it is important to note that bluetongue does not affect people, and the meat and milk from infected animals remains safe.

Farmers in South Norfolk and across affected counties have been resilient and conscientious in the face of this outbreak and the restrictions placed upon them, but those living within the restriction zone have been hit by a double whammy, as some abattoirs have implemented price deductions. Some sites looking to cover the additional costs associated with the disease have imposed price cuts of up to 50p per kilo. That impact is being handed down to farmers, despite their having selflessly gone above and beyond to protect their livestock and that of their neighbours. Will the Minister meet me to ensure that farmers are not subjected to more price deductions, and to discuss the long-term measures we can take to prevent future outbreaks?

The 2022-23 avian influenza outbreak was devastating. There were mass sea bird die-offs, and widespread highly pathogenic avian influenza protection zones were put in place across the majority of the country, but particularly in Norfolk. Recent cases of H5N5 in Yorkshire and H5N1 in Cornwall highlight the continuing threat that avian influenza poses to our poultry market.

In addition to biosecurity, there are pressing financial issues. South Norfolk farmers have told me that they find it near impossible to get insurance cover for avian influenza outbreaks, creating the risk that producers will be forced to leave the industry. I would love it if the Minister could say that he will investigate the possibility of picking up where the insurance providers are dropping the ball and failing to provide support. Will he consider a state-backed scheme to help affected farmers to re-enter the poultry industry following an outbreak?

Currently, compensation for AI is paid out to the owners of birds, but many farms operate on a contract basis and so miss out on that compensation. Again, I would love it if the Minister could tell us that he will consider steps to ensure that contractors receive their fair share of compensation from insurers. Of course, there will always be a perpetual worry about border security. Farmers in South Norfolk tell me that they are really concerned about the controls on meat and livestock entering the UK market. Will the Minister consider reassessing the level of controls on those imported goods to give our farmers peace of mind?

African swine fever is a huge issue for Norfolk. We are one of the biggest pork markets—which was obviously a huge deal for the former, rather than the current, Member for South West Norfolk. The UK pig industry is worth £8 billion annually, and faces a potential crisis if African swine fever breaches our borders. The disease is present in multiple European countries, and the consequences of an outbreak could cost between £10 million to £100 million, according to the National Farmers Union.

I welcome the Government’s September 2024 ban on personal imports of pork from high-risk areas, and DEFRA’s £3.1 million investment into the Dover Port Health Authority, which was a much-needed step forward. Given the critical importance of the pork industry to Norfolk, I urge the Minister to outline the further steps he will take to prevent an African swine fever outbreak in the UK.

It is not just livestock, but crops that are a concern for biosecurity. Virus yellows are key for East Anglia because they cause sugar beet diseases. The sugar beet industry is a cornerstone of the British agricultural economy, supporting around 9,500 jobs. It is anchored by four British Sugar factories, all located in the east of England. The sector faces a significant threat from virus yellows, a devastating group of diseases caused by three different viruses.

Those viruses are transmitted by aphids, which feed on the sugar beet crops. Unlike growers on the continent, UK farmers are particularly vulnerable to the virus, due to our maritime climate. Typically, cold winters suppress the aphid population, reducing the risk of transmission. Milder winters, driven by climate change, allow aphids to survive for longer and thrive. If the aphids carry over the disease from the previous year to the new year, they can infest crops as early as spring, compounding the threat to the British sugar beet yields.

The year 2020 serves as a stark warning. A mild winter, combined with early aphid migration, created a perfect storm, leading to a catastrophic loss for many growers. Without interventions, those conditions are likely to become more frequent. NFU Sugar has predicted that the UK sugar beet crop area could shrink by up to 25%, if a sustainable solution is not found for virus yellows.

Genetic engineering offers a promising path forward, and I welcome the Government’s proactive steps in that area, especially as the Norwich Research Park in my constituency hugely benefits from precision breeding legislation. However, as NFU Sugar rightly points out, that is no silver bullet. A truly effective response must form part of a broader integrated strategy, in order to address the challenges posed by viruses.

Will the Minister provide an update on the actions being taken to support the British sugar industry? Specifically, what is being done to accelerate precision breeding efforts, improve aphid management and ensure sustainable yields for farmers in the face of mounting climate-related challenges?

I do not want to focus solely on agriculture. Horticulture is another vital industry for the UK where biosecurity is a critical concern. If plant diseases breach our defences, the consequences could be devastating, not just for growers but for the environment and the wider economy. One of the most pressing threats is Xylella, a bacterial disease hosted by a wide range of plants, including trees such as the British oak. The risk of introduction to the UK via infected host plants is a growing concern.

To tackle that and other biosecurity challenges, the Horticultural Trades Association has laid out several critical recommendations, which I pose to the Minister: first, an urgent summit on border policy; secondly, a review of commodity risk categorisation; thirdly, enhanced pest and disease testing capabilities; and finally, active international engagement to reassure the global horticultural market and the fresh produce supply chains that the UK is open for trade in a safe and secure manner.

Biosecurity is not merely about safeguarding industries; it is about protecting the livelihoods of farmers and the food security of the nation. In South Norfolk, from poultry and sugar beet to livestock, our communities are working tirelessly to meet those challenges. I know that they have the full support of the House in the actions they are taking to protect us all.

I call on the Minister to act decisively to strengthen our borders, work with insurers, and provide the resources and partnerships needed to maintain for the UK’s biosecurity resilience the world-class status it deserves. Let us meet these challenges head-on, ensuring that our agricultural and horticultural industries remain robust for generations to come.

I remind Members that should they wish to contribute to the debate they should bob.

It is an absolute pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain, and to see you in your place once again. I thank the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for leading the debate on this important issue. I also see the chair of the all-party parliamentary group, the hon. Member for York Outer (Mr Charters), in his place, and I look forward to his contribution. It used to be the eggs, pigs and poultry APPG, and then it was elevated to biodiversity, which I hope was a positive move in the right direction—I always thought eggs, pigs and poultry were more exciting, but that is by the way.

The remit for biosecurity is shared across Government, and the Cabinet Office leads on cross-cutting strategy and preparation. However, some policies on biosecurity are devolved and fall under the remit of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs back home in Northern Ireland, so it is important that we discuss these things here in their totality.

I commend the Minister—I am glad to see him in his place—because one of the first things he did when Labour got into power was go to all of the regions of the United Kingdom. I admire him for that, because it showed a Minister who clearly wanted to discuss matters with all the regions in an integrated way. When I make a contribution about Northern Ireland, I know that the Minister will respond positively with the answers, which we look forward to getting. It is also nice to see the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Dr Hudson), in his place; I wish him well in his new role. I am also pleased to see the Lib Dem spokesperson, the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke), in her new role on the Front Bench. The hon. Lady usually sits here with the Back Benchers but, for today at least, she has been elevated. I look forward to her contribution as well.

I represent a largely costal and rural constituency and have a fantastic relationship—I believe, anyway—with many local fishermen and farmers. I live on a farm on the Ards peninsula—I declare an interest as a member of the Ulster Farmers Union—and, coming from that background, I understand the importance of our biodiversity policies and the methods that must be used to protect against disease.

I want to mention the examples of what has happened back home with avian influenza and tuberculosis to show why biodiversity is so important. There are several notable diseases of concern within the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland. These include avian influenzas, bluetongue, African swine fever and TB. I was grateful to meet with Paul Stewart some time ago, the centre manager of Castle Espie, a wetland centre just outside Comber in my constituency. The centre, which is run by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, is absolutely incredible. It is fantastic for observing and discovering wildlife, and it hosts incredible events for people of all ages. It is very much a must-see venue.

Unfortunately, the centre had to temporarily close due to the confirmed presence of avian influenza. The discovery of a suspect case led to a 1.9 mile—3 km—temporary disease control zone being erected around the wetland reserve. That was absolutely tragic, but they are now out the other side. The avian influenza has been controlled and is no longer there. I am pleased to say the centre has now reopened with a disease prevention strategy in place. I believe that is incredibly important for the protection of the birds, staff and visitors, and everyone in and around the area.

Only days ago, DAERA commenced a review of Northern Ireland’s approach to tackling bovine TB back home. It is a deadly disease that farmers are always at their wits’ end worrying about. Around 10% of herds across Northern Ireland are affected by the disease, which cost the public purse some £55.7 million in 2023-24. My neighbours had a case of TB—they are dairy people and milk more than 170 cattle, and also have beef livestock and calves. They had an outbreak of TB. It affected some 40 of their cattle—not all of them, thank goodness, but it still had an incredible effect on the farmer.

It is always had to quantify this, but I know farmers, and I know my neighbour, and I know how hard he works. To see those 40 calves going away in the lorry to be destroyed—I could see the ache in his heart, which cannot be quantified. Farmers do not just raise their livestock and do all the things they do on their farm to necessarily make money; they have a love of their livestock, as my neighbour clearly has. Furthermore, £36.5 million, almost two thirds of that total of £55.7 million, was paid in compensation to farmers for the removal of animals. It is good that that happens, but it underlines how deadly that disease can be.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has said that the review that has now been undertaken contains “no meaningful action” to address the bovine TB crisis in Northern Ireland. On Saturday morning, the Ulster Farmers’ Union expressed concerns in Farmers Weekly on behalf of its members: the farmers. Has the Minister had any discussions with the Minister back home on bovine TB and how it can be eradicated? I am ever mindful that farming is a devolved matter, and therefore the Minister here will have no say in what happens. However, the hon. Member for South Norfolk tells me that he has had constructive discussions with the Department back home, so it would be interesting to hear what is happening on that.

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is best to liaise across the regions of the UK to replicate best practice? For example, where something to combat the bovine TB issue he talks about is working well, it should be replicated elsewhere. The Minister can hopefully play a part, in consultation with colleagues, to ensure that best practice is repeated across the UK.

I thank my hon. Friend and colleague for that. On best practice, the Minister, other hon. Members, and you, Dame Siobhain, will know that I always think it important to share ideas across this United Kingdom. Where things are working, whether at county level, regional level or whatever it may be, those examples should be taken and given to others.

The TB outbreak just happened in the last two to three months. I understand the pain that my neighbour felt and the impact that it had on him. Bovine TB is a fatal disease that needs a proper prevention and control strategy. On DAERA’s review, the Ulster Farmers’ Union deputy president has stated:

“There’s extremely limited focus on the most critical issue – the need for an effective eradication programme that addresses all sources of infection. While it references biosecurity measures including post-movement testing and restrictions, it’s not enough to only have biosecurity measures.”

I would be grateful if DEFRA committed to discussions with the Minister in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Andrew Muir, to assess what DAERA’s review is missing and see what more the UK Government can do to support the eradication of bovine TB and support our farmers further.

We have seen in the last month the dangers and potential risks to our biosecurity. A case of bluetongue was found in Wales, for example, and panic—I use that word purposefully, because it was probably at that level—ensued across the United Kingdom about bluetongue and its implications. The hon. Member for South Norfolk referred to bluetongue in his introduction; and I thank him for that. As he clearly outlined, farmers want to protect their herds, their flocks, their business and their farms, and such dangers can have an absolutely critical effect. An outbreak of avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry in England. It affected one of the largest poultry flocks on the mainland.

There is still more to be done to tackle and eradicate all these diseases. They have such an impact on livestock and on farmers. I believe that, to tackle these diseases properly, we must work together to ensure that our strategies are regionally aligned and sustainable. I look forward to engaging further on this matter, and I thank the hon. Member for South Norfolk for bringing this topic to the Chamber. I very much look forward to other contributions and to a constructive and helpful response from the Minister.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship today, Dame Siobhain. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for securing this timely debate. I commend him on the work that he has done since being elected to this House on key matters in this area. It is a timely debate for my constituency as there is a proposal for a mega-farm at Methwold in South West Norfolk. I and residents are concerned about a number of aspects, not least that intensive farming is contributing to biodiversity loss, as well to as climate change and air and water pollution. Very often such farming practices adversely affect people living nearby, especially because of the health hazard posed by ammonia pollution.

I note with great concern a report commissioned by Compassion in World Farming, which found that the risk of swine and bird flu pandemics could be increased by intensive pig and poultry farming. The farms concentrate significant numbers of confined animals. In the Methwold proposal we are talking about almost a million chickens and 14,000 pigs on one site, increasing biosecurity risks.

That is not the only concern that we face. In 2022-23, as my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk observed, Norfolk was badly affected by avian influenza. In the past few years we have seen an unprecedented outbreak, and more than a fifth of all bird flu cases in England have occurred in Norfolk. I am sure that my hon. Friend, as a Member for the eastern region, knows that our region has 20% of all the UK’s poultry flock, and that such outbreaks can break farms. Government figures show that the average cost to the Government could be between £2 million and £4 million per outbreak. The Government need to prepare for that, and I welcome the measures announced so far. Prevention, as is so often the case, costs less in the long run, whether in public health, for the farming community or at supermarket checkouts.

I am proud to say that the British Trust for Ornithology headquarters is located in Thetford in my South West Norfolk constituency, and its scientific research and dedication are more important than ever before given the biodiversity loss, climate crisis and biosecurity challenges that we face as a country. That research is critical for our understanding.

In Britain I like to think that we are a global leader when it comes to scientific study; that should be championed. I vividly remember walking around the BTO nature reserve in Thetford, and along our river corridors and forests, and seeing scores of dead birds—wild birds primarily. It was absolutely devastating. One could not miss the sheer number of dead birds, which were evident. Avian influenza significantly impacted our wild bird populations across Norfolk and further afield. Given all the other environmental challenges that we face, that was one that we could have done without.

I congratulate the Minister and the whole Government on the work that they are doing to put Britain back on the map when it comes to leading on environmental policy. I know that the Minister is passionate about farming and biosecurity. He is very well respected by farmers in my constituency. He cares passionately about these issues and all farming-related matters. I hope that in summing up he will provide further reassurance for my residents on the points that have been raised.

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dame Siobhain. I thank the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) for securing this really important debate. We have heard about a range of biosecurity threats. Each of them has real potential to undermine our national security by disrupting our access to food, making our workforce sick, or crippling our export market. What concerns me most, however, is not any single one of those diseases or pests; it is what would happen if the UK were to be hit with two or more outbreaks concurrently.

The likelihood of that happening is greater than ever. We must recognise that threats such as bluetongue, avian influenza and virus yellows, alongside bovine TB, are part of the new normal and that our biosecurity defences need to have enough capacity to deal with them, as well as future threats such as African swine fever, simultaneously. That means ensuring that the Pirbright Institute and the APHA site at Weybridge are fit for purpose, that we are recruiting and retaining enough vets and border control staff, that there is sufficient rendering capacity to dispose of culled animal carcases, and that we have a proper border control strategy. I was alarmed when Dr Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, warned the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee earlier this year that parts of the Weybridge APHA facility were at risk of being taken out of service. I welcome the additional funding that the Government have promised for the facility, and I seriously hope that the £208 million is enough not only to fund a much-needed refurbishment but to transform Weybridge into a facility that will protect the UK from the biological threats of tomorrow.

Our nation’s biosecurity defences must consist not just of buildings but of people. Despite the important role that vets and allied professionals, such as meat hygiene inspectors, play in protecting us from disease, and despite the clear evidence that there is a shortage of them in agricultural supply chains, the Government’s workforce data is poor. Unlike the United States and Australasia, which are facing similar shortages, we do not even know the scale of the problem, let alone how best to solve it. What we do know is that 45% of vets leaving the industry have less than four years’ experience, that the attrition rate in abattoirs is rising by 11% each year and that many of our veterinary schools are struggling to get two qualified applicants for clinical teaching roles.

Workforce shortages are a key challenge facing the veterinary profession, and these problems are particularly pronounced in rural areas such as Glastonbury and Somerton. Solutions such as creating new vet schools and increasing the number of university places will take at least five years to shift the dial on our vet workforce. That is why it is critical that the Government transfer work visa policymaking from the Home Office to other Departments such as DEFRA.

Improving our biosecurity will ensure that we can continue to prevent major infectious disease outbreaks, which are expensive and harm our international reputation, but it will create opportunities too. The two most widely discussed problems in agriculture are business viability and climate change, and what is often forgotten in these conversations is that vaccinations can play a part in supporting both. As we have heard in this debate, diseases such as bluetongue, Schmallenberg virus and avian influenza can lead to stunted growth in livestock. They fail to reproduce, they abort and they are more likely to die. I spoke to a farmer in Barton St David recently, and they told me that that just means more inputs for lower outputs, and for consumers it means more expensive food. He also said that it means more damage to the environment as well.

Research from my alma mater, Harper Adams University, shows that controlling avian influenza reduces greenhouse gas emissions by almost 16% per kilogram of meat without the need for culling. Following several successful campaigns from industry bodies, most livestock farmers now accept the benefits of regular vaccinations and parasite control. However, our inconsistent domestic vaccine capacity is preventing them from doing so. For example, this summer, sheep farmers saw yet another shortage of enzootic abortion vaccinations and continued shortages of orf vaccinations.

Covid-19 demonstrated that the UK is a vaccination superpower that can develop and procure the best proactive defences against new threats. It also showed us how vulnerable we are if we do not have access to vaccines. I urge the Government to bolster our vaccination production capacity by introducing a research and innovation fund to support new and emerging technologies. Innovation must also be fostered within Departments and Government bodies.

It is worrying that imports of illegal meats have doubled to almost 70,000 kg this year, which leaves us particularly vulnerable to African swine fever and foot and mouth disease. Although this must be tackled first and foremost by developing a joint strategy with Europol and Eurojust, the Government could also slash the demand for these illegal imports by allowing food producers to provide cuts and products favoured by different communities safely. For example, if skin-on lamb was produced in the UK, the incentive to import it illegally would fall to near zero.

Safeguarding the public must be one of the Government’s top priorities following 14 years of Conservative failure. Farmers’ confidence levels have slumped to a record low, and part of their restoration must be to provide biosecurity measures that will protect the UK from both existing threats and the threats of tomorrow.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain, and to have the opportunity to contribute to this vital debate on biosecurity. I sincerely congratulate the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough) on bringing the topic to the Chamber. Of the B-words that I have mentioned in this place over the last five years, biosecurity is right at the top. It is something that I am absolutely passionate about. I declare a strong professional and personal interest in the topic as a veterinary surgeon.

There have been great speeches today on this important topic. The hon. Member for South Norfolk touched on the important issues of blue tongue, avian influenza, African swine fever, and the vital importance of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. He also touched on virus yellows and the significance of the topic for animal, plant and tree health across the United Kingdom. It is so important, so I thank the hon. Member again for introducing this debate.

I am gutted that I did not get a chance to intervene on my friend, the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon). He talked about the importance of biosecurity and joined-up thinking right across our precious United Kingdom. He made a powerful intervention on the impact of bovine TB on farmers, speaking of how distressing and devastating it is when there is a positive reactor. I am going to touch on the mental-health impacts of biosecurity breakdowns.

The hon. Member for York Outer (Mr Charters), who is the chair of the UK food security APPG, again talked about the importance of the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and the people within that great institution working on the frontline to keep the United Kingdom safe. He stressed the importance of more support for the APHA, which I will touch on firmly and robustly with the Minister in due course. The hon. Member highlighted, as Members across the Chamber have done, the distressing and alarming situation of illegal meat imports coming into the country and the risks that African swine fever and foot and mouth disease may bring to our agricultural sectors.

The hon. Member for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy) has personal experience of being on the frontline in his constituency. He spoke of the pivotal risks to both the poultry and pig sectors if those diseases come in. Some of the diseases, such as avian influenza, are here, as we have heard, but heaven forbid we get African swine fever. It would be devastating and catastrophic for this country.

I thank the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) for championing the veterinary sector. She cited the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, on which I served during the last Parliament. I chaired the emergency session on veterinary medicine when we heard powerful evidence from the chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss. I take the opportunity—shamelessly—to give a big shout- out to people like Christine Middlemiss, as well as the chief vets right across our precious United Kingdom. The joined-up thinking of those veterinary experts working together to keep our nation safe is important, and we must champion and support them.

I want to state firmly that biosecurity is national security. What we are here to discuss today is not a niche concern but something that is vital for human public health, food security, protecting our precious environment, and upholding animal health and welfare. The priority for the Government must be to shore up the nation’s biosecurity or risk the grim consequences of an animal disease outbreak, which could ravage wild and kept animal or bird populations, and doing untold damage to our economy and international trade standing.

My journey to Parliament, as the first veterinary surgeon elected to the House of Commons since 1884, started in 2001, when I spent a period as a veterinary inspector on the frontline of the foot and mouth outbreak. I saw sights then that I never want to see again in my lifetime. The mass culls that devastated our rural communities showed the horrific reality of what can happen when Government gets biosecurity policy wrong. I gently but robustly say to the Minister that that remains an ever-present warning to Ministers of any political party. We must never forget, we must be vigilant and we must stand prepared.

In 2001, previously bustling farms and fields were left empty, and even the hardiest of stoic farmers could not contain their grief. One memory I cannot shake off came after we worked through the night, with logistical support from the Army, to cull an entire herd of cattle, including the calves. In the morning, the farmer and his wife invited my veterinary colleague and me into their home for breakfast. He said to me, “Do you know, Neil, this is the first time of a morning that the only thing I can hear on my farm is complete silence.”

Beyond the personal tragedies and the 6 million animals culled, the outbreak was estimated to have directly cost the public sector more than £5 billion and the private sector £8.7 billion in today’s prices when adjusted for inflation. Tragically, we saw lives, livelihoods and community mental health impacted.

Fast-forward 20 years, and the UK now faces a significant threat from diseases, as we have heard today, such as bluetongue virus, avian influenza and—heaven forbid, if it crosses from the continent—African swine fever. As we have heard today, we still have the chronic presence of bovine tuberculosis. This year, we have seen cases of bluetongue across the UK, stretching from Cornwall to North Yorkshire, and Anglesey to East Anglia. In recent weeks, we have seen new outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza strains, including in Cornwall and Yorkshire. We also have the ever-present threat of African swine fever, which is advancing across Europe and now present in many countries, including Germany, Italy and Poland, to name just a few of the countries that are facing that virus. As we have heard, we have seen alarming levels of illegal meat imports being detected.

During the 2022-23 avian influenza outbreak, 5.4 million birds died or were culled, and were then disposed of for disease-control purposes. Distressingly, huge numbers of wild birds also died. That is worrying not purely for birdlife but for other species, including humans. Avian influenza has been reported in the US in dairy cattle, and in South America in marine mammals. We all know the dangers of diseases that cross the species barriers, including zoonotic diseases, which move from animals to people.

I return to the subject of bluetongue, which is spread by midges. Between November 2023 and May 2024, there were 126 identified cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3—BTV 3—in England. As of 25 November this year, 168 cases have been identified. The Minister has previously confirmed that bluetongue is

“challenging to control without vaccination”,

so will he assure the House that the Government are increasing work on vaccine manufacturing and procurement, for ultimate delivery and roll-out?

The European Commission has published figures detailing cases of African swine fever in more than 20 nations across the continent this calendar year. Although we remain incredibly fortunate to have avoided cases in the UK, we must remain vigilant; otherwise, there is a risk that that highly infectious disease will cause catastrophe for our pig sector. The need for vigilance was underlined by a recent freedom of information request by the BBC, which showed that Border Force seized 70,000 kg of illegal, and therefore unregulated, meat in the 2023-24 financial year, up from 35,000 kg the year before.

The Minister has updated us about the border target operating model. Will he update us on its capacity to keep us safe from diseases such as African swine fever and foot and mouth disease? We know that checks will be starting at Sevington, 22 miles inland from Dover. Will the Minister reassure us that we will still be able to carry out random spot checks within the port of Dover itself? It is important that the unscrupulous and immoral people who are trying to smuggle in foodstuffs that could potentially devastate our farming and food sectors know they can be targeted with checks.

Live animal imports to this country can also pose a risk to animal and human health. There have been reports of Brucella canis, a disease in dogs that we have not heard about today, which sadly has limited treatment options and which in many cases ends up with the dog being euthanised. There were no cases in 2019 but 187 in 2023. It is a zoonotic disease, which means that it can transfer from animals to people, and there have been reports of dog-to-human transmission in the UK. It is therefore vital that the Government look at pre-import health testing of animals such as dogs coming in from countries in which diseases such as Brucella canis are endemic. On Friday, I was on the Front Bench supporting the puppy-smuggling Bill—the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill—which is now going into Committee. I urge the Government to look closely at the possibility of introducing pre-import checks to keep animals that are coming in safe, and to protect human and animal health in this country.

I hope the dangers of the infectious agents that I and others have talked about today are taken seriously. We cannot afford to be complacent about the risks that threaten not just animal but human health, as well as our economy, our trading links and standards, and the wider agricultural sector. To put it simply, if a major outbreak were to occur and we were not fully prepared to deal with it, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The Government, of whatever colour, must protect our nation’s biosecurity. To do that, they must fully back the Animal and Plant Health Agency, which is in urgent need of support, as we have heard. I pay tribute to the veterinary professionals, animal officers, scientists and officials at the APHA, who do so much to keep our country biosecure. The APHA’s Weybridge site in Surrey is the UK’s primary capability for animal health science. In the previous Parliament, I sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and we strongly called for the redevelopment of the APHA’s Weybridge facilities. A 2022 report by the National Audit Office outlined that the APHA’s HQ needed a complete redevelopment, and I guested on the Public Accounts Committee when we looked at that report.

The site needs an estimated £2.8 billion redevelopment; otherwise, we risk being left unprotected against a major animal disease outbreak or, as we have heard today, if we face simultaneous outbreaks of different diseases. The APHA is hanging on by its fingertips, and if it is challenged with multiple cases, we could have a catastrophe. It is therefore vital that the Government—and I look again at the Minister—invest fully in the APHA to ensure that it maintains state-of-the-art facilities that can identify, respond to and manage emerging risks.

The previous Conservative Government rightly initiated plans, with a £1.2 billion commitment in 2020, so that work could begin, but that must now be followed up by necessary further capital investment as a matter of urgency. I note that in the Budget the new Government have committed £208 million to support Weybridge’s transformation—I am sure the Minister will cite that today. But they need to go much, much further, because that does not touch the sides. I therefore urge the Minister to make the case to Treasury colleagues for the site to be funded in full, and for the remaining £1.4 billion to be committed. I repeat: biosecurity is national security. Without the full funding, the APHA’s ability to respond to simultaneous infectious disease outbreaks will be severely limited, and we may have a national security disaster.

I ask the Minister to please relay this message to his counterparts at the Treasury: investing in the redevelopment of the APHA headquarters is an investment in our nation’s biosecurity, our national security, our economy and the lives and livelihoods of generations to come. Before the general election, many Labour Members, including the Minister himself, called for this funding and for the full redevelopment. I now urge Ministers to put their money where their mouth is and urgently safeguard our biosecurity. If the Treasury will not deliver it through the DEFRA budget, I would urge it to consider delivering it through the Contingencies Fund. I repeat: biosecurity is national security—it needs to be paid for.

I want to come back to farming. We need to support our farming communities when adversity strikes, such as acute disease outbreaks or extreme weather events. Where something is more chronic, as the hon. Member for Strangford said—such as when farms get a positive result during regular bovine TB testing—we need to make sure that the mental health of farmers, vets and everyone else is supported. I again cite the EFRA Committee, which in the last Parliament produced a report on rural mental health that looked at these issues very closely.

The pressures on our farmers’ mental health are increasing day by day, with extreme weather events, animal disease outbreaks and financial pressures. The issue is now more important than ever, with the increased pressures that this Labour Government are unnecessarily putting on farming communities with—I have to say it—their incredibly ill-judged and heartless family farm tax. I look to the Minister and say, “Please reconsider.” Today we are holding a debate in the main Chamber on this heartless tax, and I hope that every Member in this Chamber, including Labour Members, and their colleagues, will vote for their farmers and their rural communities. That will send a strong message to the Government that they have got this wrong, and that they need to reverse this heartless, awful family farm tax.

We have talked about mental health today, and I am keen for the Minister to reiterate what support the Government will give to the mental health of farmers and others in rural communities, who face infectious disease outbreaks when biosecurity breaks down, as well as extreme weather events, and financial stress and pressure. On that point, I want to mention the tremendous work of charities up and down the land in support of the mental health of our farming communities. They include YANA—Opposition Members will know it well, and I met it recently to discuss its outreach coming over into Essex from Suffolk and Norfolk—as well as RABI, Farmerados, the Farming Community Network, Yellow Wellies, Vetlife and many others. I say a deep and sincere thank you to them.

In conclusion—I am being repetitive, but I think it is worth it—biosecurity is national security. Compromised biosecurity affects everything from animal health and public health to the price of food, trade, our position on the world stage and our precious environment. The covid pandemic sent us a clear message that some infectious diseases do not respect borders or species barriers. We ignore that at our peril. I urge the Government from the bottom of my heart to fully fund the APHA HQ redevelopment, to make sure that the burning pyres of slaughtered animals, and the economic and mental health devastation of foot and mouth, remain resolutely confined to the history books.

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dame Siobhain. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk (Ben Goldsborough), not just for securing this important debate—and for winning South Norfolk, which is very precious to me—but for his continued commitment to championing our agriculture sector. East Anglia is a crucial part of the UK’s livestock and, in particular, arable sectors and provides quality produce that underpins our nation’s food security and is in demand across Europe and beyond.

We have had a thoughtful and sensible discussion this morning. Let me start by reiterating the Government’s total commitment to all those who work in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, and all those beyond. They are on the frontline, not only producing our food but protecting our national biosecurity. I was struck by the passionate interventions by all speakers this morning. I listened closely to the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) talking about the impact that bovine TB has on people. I was struck by the account that my hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy) gave of walking through Thetford and seeing the dead birds after the avian influenza outbreak. Of course, I could not help but be struck by the way my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Mr Charters) summed up biosecurity as being like a Yorkshire wall—solid, well-built and designed to keep out things we do not want here. I paraphrase, but he gave a very good account of what we are trying to achieve.

I also listened closely to the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Dr Hudson). I do not think anyone could have failed to be moved by his powerful personal account of the foot and mouth outbreak, and I echo his warm words for those in our Government Departments, such as the chief vet, Christine Middlemiss, for the work they do. I think there is actually a lot of agreement in the Chamber this morning about the importance of the issue and our support for those working on it.

Biosecurity is vital. It underpins safe food, protects animal and plant health, and supports a prosperous economy and trade. It is a joint endeavour: Government, animal keepers, horticulturists and the public must do everything we can collectively to keep disease out. As we have heard from Members this morning, the costs are significant. Plant diseases alone are estimated to cost the global economy over $220 billion annually, and up to 40% of global crop production is lost to pests each year. Those are huge numbers, and are sadly unlikely to reduce as climate change drives the geographic expansion and the host range of pests and diseases. Healthy plants and animals are not just an important tool in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, but contribute directly to many of the UN’s sustainable development goals—in particular, ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Pests and diseases know no borders. New and emerging threats are often the result of trade and globalisation, and are then further exacerbated by climate change. Safe trade is essential to food security in a thriving economy. We want healthy trade to support food security and the economy, but at the same time we need to protect ourselves from risks. That is why DEFRA is a key delivery Department of the UK biological security strategy, which takes a UK-wide approach that strengthens deterrence and resilience, projects global leadership and exploits opportunities for UK prosperity. In parallel, the environmental improvement plan sets out how we will improve our environment at home and abroad, including through enhancing biosecurity. I can assure the House that we have in place robust measures to maintain and improve our ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from outbreaks that affect animals and that affect plants.

One of our first defences is to understand the threats and monitor the risks, which we do through established expert groups, the veterinary risk group, the human animal infections and risk surveillance group, and the plant health risk group. Our programmes of research support the expert groups. For example, for plant health, DEFRA has invested more than £8 million into ash dieback research, including the world’s largest screening trials for resistant trees, the Living Ash Project, while for animal health, DEFRA and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council are funding £6.5 million of research projects to better forecast, understand, mitigate and avoid vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks.

Our second line of defence is detection through strong surveillance systems. Our network of official laboratories, veterinary investigators, border inspectors and bee, fish, and plant inspectors all contribute to the early warning detections for signs of disease or antimicrobial resistance.

Thirdly, prevention is key. As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, so this Government will take action to prevent pests and diseases from arriving in the first place. Preventing an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK, for example, remains one of our key biosecurity priorities. Although, as has rightly been said, we have not had an outbreak of ASF in the UK, the overall risk of an incursion is currently assessed to be medium. We continue to prepare for a possible outbreak.

To help prevent ASF incursions in the UK, robust safeguards are in place, prohibiting live pigs, wild boar, or pork products from affected European Union areas from entering Great Britain. Enforcement is carried out by Border Force and Port Health Authority officers at seaports and airports. Under the enhanced safeguard measures introduced in the autumn—I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer for referencing them—travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork products into Great Britain unless they are produced and packaged to the EU’s commercial standards and weigh no more than 2 kg. DEFRA and its agencies continuously review the spread of ASF and other diseases, and are ready to introduce further biosecurity restrictions, should they be deemed necessary, in response to new scientific and risk data.

Our fourth line of defence is our response capability. Our disease contingency plans and underpinning legislation are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain fit for purpose, and that we have the necessary capacity and capability to respond. We exercise our plans regularly and work closely with stakeholders on their own preparedness.

The Minister is turning to the contingency plans, so let me take us back to African swine fever, as he has not really touched on my question in that regard. Will there be the capability to have random spot checks within the port of Dover itself? We know that the inland centre will be up and running, but it is so important that unscrupulous people coming in know that they could be targeted within the port, so that these illegal meat imports can be snapped out.

I absolutely share the hon. Gentleman’s concerns. We are working closely with the Port Health Authority to make sure that everything that needs to be done can be done.

As I was saying, we exercise our plans regularly and work closely with stakeholders on their preparedness. The ongoing response to bluetongue and highly pathogenic avian influenza are cases in point. Officials from across the UK are working closely with sector representatives on the implementation of control measures.

Early identification was crucial in enabling a rapid response to the bluetongue outbreak. DEFRA provided free pre-movement testing to animal keepers in counties at the highest risk of incursion from infected biting midges originating from the continent. A restriction zone covering the counties affected by bluetongue has been established. That measure has been carefully considered to protect the free area from disease spread while allowing the free movement of animals in the zone, keeping business disruption to a minimum. On the question asked by the hon. Member for Epping Forest, permitted use of the BTV-3 vaccine is available, and I am told that just over 14,500 animals have been vaccinated so far.

To respond to my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk, I am aware of reports that some meat processors may have taken unfair advantage of the bluetongue outbreak to reduce prices. That is dreadful; I do not condone that behaviour at all, not least since bluetongue does not affect the meat. My understanding is that it is not a widespread issue, and that prices paid to farmers for beef and sheep continue to be stable and at five-year highs. That is a good example of why this Government consider fairness in the supply chain to be critical for farmers across all sectors. I also reassure hon. Members that the bluetongue virus is not a public health threat and does not affect people or food safety. While no sick animal should enter the food chain, meat and milk from infected animals is safe to eat and drink.

A number of hon. Members raised the issue of virus yellows. A lot of work is going on with British Sugar, particularly at the John Innes Centre, which is just outside Norwich; I understand that there is a project involving the biotech company Tropic. I have stood in fields and looked at sugar beet suffering to varying degrees from yellows. Our proposals on genetic engineering may provide a solution in future, but in the shorter term some new innovations are being looked at. Those should give us better ways of tackling this disease, which is serious, as my hon. Friend the Member for South Norfolk said—particularly for our region in the east of England.

On plant health in general, joint working with the horticultural sector takes place with the Royal Horticultural Society and the Horticultural Trades Association through the plant health accord, the tree health policy group and plant health advisory forum, and the Plant Health Alliance, which leads the plant healthy certification scheme.

As I have said, biosecurity has to be a shared endeavour. The Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and we are working with the European Union to identify areas where we can strengthen co-operation for mutual benefit. We have been clear that a veterinary and sanitary and phytosanitary agreement could boost trade and deliver significant benefits to the European Union and the United Kingdom, but delivering new agreements will take time. It is important that we get the right agreement, meet our international obligations, and protect the UK’s biosecurity and public health throughout the process.

Furthermore, maintaining our high standards requires constant investment. The hon. Member for Epping Forest made a powerful case about the Animal and Plant Health Agency at Weybridge. This Government are not in the business of making unfunded commitments, but we have announced £208 million for the next phase of the redevelopment of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Weybridge laboratory. I echo the powerful praise from my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer for Jenny Stewart and her staff—we should thank all those, right across the piece, who work on our behalf.

We believe that the £208 million investment will help to safeguard and enhance the UK’s capability to respond to the threat from animal and plant diseases, help to protect public health, and underpin the UK’s trade capability with animal export products, which are worth £16 billion per year to the UK economy. The APHA is also looking to grow its external income streams over the coming years to support the delivery of key services, recognising the efficiencies that we all need to deliver in these challenging times.

I have talked about bluetongue, so let me turn to the threat to our poultry sector.

I have a lot of respect for the Minister and I like him a lot as a person, too. I will ask a question about the APHA before he moves on from it. I acknowledge that the Government have put forward £208 million. The previous Government committed £1.2 billion. The APHA still needs £1.4 billion. I know that he cannot make Treasury commitments on behalf of the Chancellor, but please can he give assurances that DEFRA will keep making representations to the Treasury that the refurbishment we have discussed needs to be undertaken in full? The £208 million is a start to help with the transformation, but more money needs to be committed for national security. Please will he and his DEFRA colleagues make that case to Treasury? If the money cannot come from the DEFRA budget, it can come from the Contingencies Fund.

I hear and respect the point that the hon. Gentleman is making, but I gently point out to him that the country is in an economic mess and we can only spend the money that we have. That point will be reiterated in debate after debate. Every part of our rural economy, indeed every part of our country, needs a sound economic basis upon which to proceed. The previous Government did not take that view, but we will.

In response to the detection of two new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry in England this autumn, DEFRA and the APHA have stood up the well-established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade and assist the recovery of local communities.

We are in a better place than in previous years, but there is absolutely no complacency. Hon. Members regardless of party have referred to the situation that we are in. It is too early to predict the outlook for future seasons, and risk levels may increase further this winter; obviously, we hope that they do not. However, this situation is associated with the migratory pattern of wild waterfowl and the environmental conditions becoming more favourable, sadly, for virus survival. As I have said, I was very taken by the points made by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk about the impact on the wild bird population as well as on our kept birds.

So, we continue to monitor closely the avian influenza outbreak and any effects it might have on bird keepers, poultry producers and processors, in addition to those wild bird populations that have been mentioned, particularly those of conservation concern. We urge all bird keepers, whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock, to maintain stringent biosecurity in order to protect the health and welfare of their birds.

Slaughtering of turkeys and other birds for the Christmas market has already begun and we do not currently anticipate avian influenza to have any impact on supplies. Further information on the latest situation and guidance on how keepers can protect their birds from avian influenza can be found online from Government sources.

I gently ask a question about the insurance issue that I raised in my speech. Insurance is a huge part of the sectoral fragilities that we see in relation to this issue. Would the Department be able to look into insurance companies that refuse to give avian influenza insurance payments?

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Insurance is a complicated issue, but my officials are in discussions about what we might be able to do. Let me conclude—

First, I thank the Minister for his responses to us. I know that he will do this, but just to have it on the record in Hansard I ask him this question: will he have some discussions with the Minister back home, Andrew Muir, in relation to bovine TB? We have had some of the biggest outbreaks in all of the United Kingdom. Is it possible to work better and more closely together to try to address this issue? I understand that Minister Muir would love to hear from him and get his thoughts.

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I very much enjoyed meeting Minister Muir a few months before the election, when I was the shadow Minister. Interestingly, it was bovine TB that was being discussed in the Assembly that very day. I absolutely take the hon. Gentleman’s point. I am keen to visit. When we are not having weekly debates on other issues, maybe there will be the opportunity to go to talk to friends in the devolved Administrations.

The Government do not underestimate the biosecurity threats we face or the challenges that the agricultural and horticultural sectors are facing. We will continue to test our capabilities regularly to ensure resilience and respond to those threats through exercises and horizon scanning. We will learn lessons when outbreaks do occur and make the necessary improvements. We will continue to work closely with sector groups on preparedness and response, and we remain ever grateful for their insight and commitment.

I thank all hon. Members for a well-informed and thoughtful discussion. I genuinely believe there are many opportunities ahead for the agricultural and horticultural sectors. We are absolutely committed to making the most of them, and to ensuring that the industry can best contribute to our country’s food security and economic growth.

What was great about this debate was the unanimity of voice in the personal stories that we heard from across the United Kingdom about the impact of biosecurity fragility, not only on the individuals who farm our land but on those who work to protect our farmers and horticulturists. What has shone through in the debate is our ability to pull together in our national interest. We know that party politics does not determine that—that we need to work together to find a route to protect the agricultural and horticultural sectors, as well as our human health.

As has been noted by hon. Members regardless of party, pathogens can cross from animals to humans; we saw it with covid-19 and with other diseases worldwide, so we must be vigilant. I thank my hon. Friends for attending and raising issues from across my good county of Norfolk, such as the mega-farm issue in South West Norfolk. As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on UK food security, my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Mr Charters) also brought his expertise. This debate will go on, and I know we will have many more discussions about this.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House has considered biosecurity.