George Eustice on the peat ban, import/export friction and his legacy

HortWeek Podcast

Former Defra secretary of state George Eustice says there should be a new generation of UK fresh produce glasshouse production post-election, with a Defra strategy to support that.

The retiring Conservative MP believes more can also be done on labour shortages. He supports a needs-based policy so sectors with shortages have sector-specific visas, and a 10-year plus seasonal worker scheme maintained at current worker levels.

After standing down ahead of the July 4 general election, Eustice formed the Penbroath environmental and agricultural consultancy. He discusses his political legacy from his nine-year stint as a Defra minister, including almost three as secretary of state until 2022; they include the Environment, Agriculture and Fishery Acts and the transition from EU subsidies to new schemes. He also reflects on working through a "turbulent time" with Brexit, Covid and Ukraine happening during his tenure.

On plant imports, he argues the UK has been "incredibly generous" to the EU on plant imports and that has not been reciprocated with UK exports to the EU. Importers may find BCPs frustrating, but they should be buying from British nurseries where they know the health status of plants he says. Eustice does admit he would have timed the implementation better (delayed due to Covid, the Ukraine war and having to re-recruit border staff). Despite "teething problems" he maintains BCPs are the most proportionate and risk-based approach to stopping plant pests and diseases entering the UK.

On peat, he expresses frustration that his successor at Defra ,Therese Coffey, brough forward peat ban plans without a legislative vehicle. The consequent "uncertainty" was a "terrible mistake". Eustice wanted to ban garden centre bagged sales but to delay commercial peat bans on growers until 2030, with veg module bans not implemented until 2035-40. He wants to see a return to that approach.

He discusses how the new Government, be it Tory or Labour, could bring elements of the peat ban into force including using secondary regulation to restrict sales under the Environment Act's 'protecting resources' section, though the current the Government did not think that would work. A ban on all retail sales would get round how to make sure imports grown in peat do not undercut the UK market.

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