What might Brexit mean for biosecurity? Lords to hear evidence
The House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee will begin taking evidence for its new inquiry investigating the impact of Brexit on the UK's plant and animal biosecurity on Wednesday 25th April. The Committee will hear from academic experts in biosecurity and environmental law.
The UK's membership of the EU allows it to participate in a range of information sharing and early warning systems, and benefit from shared resources and expertise. A shared approach to biosecurity also means that goods coming from the EU do not have to be checked at UK borders. After Brexit, this will change, and the session will explore what this might mean for the UK's biosecurity.
The evidence session will begin at 10:30am in Committee Room 4 of the House of Lords. Giving evidence will be:
- Dr Robert Black, Consultant in Biosecurity Law and Drafting, Natural Resources Institute
- Dr Emily Lydgate, Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex
- Dr Kezia Barker, Lecturer in Geography, Birkbeck, University of London
Likely areas of questioning include:
- How well current EU biosecurity systems function.
- How reliant the UK is on the EU for checks, risk assessments and the timely notification of biosecurity threats.
- The impact of new, post-Brexit trade arrangements.
- Whether a common framework across the UK will be needed.
