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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the horticultural industry on changes to phytosanitary certificates.

Defra engages with GB businesses well in advance of any such changes, through the Plant Health Portal and Plant Health Advisory Forum

Any changes to the required content of phytosanitary certificates are communicated to third country trading partners via World Trade Organisation notifications and through letters directly to third country competent authorities. Such notifications are sent months in advance to ensure that third countries have time to comment on, and adapt to, the changes.

The exception to this is during emergency situations, when the high level of biosecurity risk means new requirements are implemented more rapidly.