UK Consultation - Brexit and biosecurity

The Society for Applied Microbiology has submitted written evidence to a House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee inquiry into plant and animal biosecurity after Brexit. The Sub-Committee, chaired by Lord Teverson, is seeking information on the challenges and opportunities the UK Government will face in relation to animal and plant health, food safety and invasive species, as a result of leaving the European Union (EU). Our response focused on the following key recommendations on ways to support applied microbiologists in the UK to continue to have international impact and reach:

• The UK government should support continued collaboration between UK National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) Network, and ensure UK NRLs have the resource to conduct internationally-leading research.
• HM Government should commit to continued close collaboration and sharing of scientific expertise with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), mirroring its previous dedication to the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
• Biological resource centres (BRCs) are an underused resource in the UK, which ought to be better utilised to access international data and samples of crucially important pests and pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms). UK-based BRCs also require more support to coordinate with industry and the Research Councils under UK Research and Innovation

Download a copy of our response below.