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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK remains a competitive destination for international investment in agricultural biotechnology compared to EU member states.

The Government is taking steps to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of the global agricultural biotechnology sector, which is expected to reach £232.23 billion by 2034.

Precision breeding is a key growth technology within engineering biology, and a critical subsector in the Industrial Strategy. The global plant and precision breeding market is currently worth approximately £6.7 billion and is expected to grow to over £10 billion by 2030. By enacting the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 we have the potential to be at the forefront across Europe and to be a major global competitor in this rapidly growing industry.