PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Horticulture: Customs (23 November 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the implementation of proposed import and export processes and procedures for plants and plant products after the end of the transition period on the British ornamental horticulture industry.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

From 1 January 2021, Great Britain (GB) is introducing a phased import regime for EU goods to maintain biosecurity and keep trade as frictionless as possible. The phased EU import regime will allow time for trade to adapt to the new import requirements for EU goods.

GB plant health authorities are undertaking significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors to service the demand for import and export checks and certification. We will have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 and ensure minimal disruption to trade. GB plant health services are currently reviewing their operating hours to make sure that biosecurity standards will continue to be met and strengthened in ways that support trade and the smooth the flow of goods while minimising the burden on businesses.

We have maintained regular engagement with the horticultural industry on post-transition period planning, both with individual operators and through key stakeholder groups. This includes fora such as the Plant Health Advisory Forum, the Tree Health Policy Group and the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, as well as frequent bilateral engagement with key stakeholders such as the Horticultural Trade Association, Fresh Produce Consortium, the National Farmers Union and the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association. Most recently we have undertaken a series of end-to-end feasibility sessions with more than 300 participants, and equivalent export sessions. Alongside these feasibility sessions Defra is hosting a series of webinars open to all, on the new plant health requirements for imports, exports, and internal movement.

It is important that plant health services are properly financed to provide assurance for imports of plants and produce and to protect our nation’s biosecurity. In line with HM Treasury rules, the Animal and Plant Health Agency recovers the cost of delivering these services from the businesses that use them. APHA regularly reviews its fees to ensure they are reflective of the cost of delivery and that they do not over-recover.

For goods imported from the EU, GB will be carrying out a phased implementation of import checks which will be aligned to the risks posed by different regulated commodities. Lower risk goods will receive a lower frequency of checks. Fees therefore need to be adapted to ensure there is no over-recovery of costs. We will begin charging for import services, on goods arriving from the EU, from 1April 2021. This will enable a more accurate calculation of the fees and will allow businesses and government to implement the change successfully.

Answered by:
Victoria Prentis (Conservative)
1 December 2020