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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the UK florist industry's decline in trade with the EU; and if she will make a statement.

HM Revenue & Customs publishes statistics on the United Kingdom's international trade in goods including with the EU and these are regularly reviewed by Defra. The combined effects of the United Kingdom leaving the EU and the subsequent transition period, along with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, supply chain disruption and global recession, have all led to greater volatility in trade in the past two years.

With production of ornamental horticulture being worth £1.6 billion in the United Kingdom at farm-gate in 2021, £128 million of which was from flowers and bulbs, HM Government recognises the importance of the sector both to the economy and to people's well-being, and has been working with the industry on an action plan exploring opportunities to accelerate the sector's growth through a collaborative approach between HM Government and industry.