Ministers pressed on Weybridge funding commitment

Britain’s biosecurity will be put at risk if the Government fails to fund critical upgrades to the APHA’s Weybridge headquarters, MPs have warned.

The issue was highlighted ahead of the new Labour administration’s first Budget next week, during a House of Commons debate on farming and food security.

Although more than £1 billion was committed to the Surrey site under the previous Conservative government, some estimates suggest nearly £3 billion needs to be spent on it.

‘Urgent need’

Vet and MP Neil Hudson led calls on the issue during the 8 October debate, as he highlighted the impact of disease threats including bluetongue and avian influenza.

He said: “The Government must act, and they must support the APHA, which is in urgent need of full redevelopment.

“The EFRA Committee has called for that redevelopment, and I know that Defra wants it, so I urge ministers to make the case to the treasury for it to be funded in full.”

His party colleague Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown endorsed the message, adding: “There is a real need for proper capital investment, because the biosecurity of the nation is at risk if we do not have properly biosecure laboratories.”

Budget statement

While ministers did not directly address that issue, they said funding issues in other areas would be confirmed as part of the process of preparing for the 30 October statement.

Defra secretary Steve Reed also repeated Labour’s pledge to secure a new veterinary agreement with the EU, which he said would “tear those barriers down and get our food exports moving again”.

Concerns about medicine supplies – particularly to Northern Ireland – have persisted for some time amid estimates that as many as half of all products could be made unavailable if permanent arrangements are not secured by the end of 2025.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart said: “This is a 2024 problem, not a 2025 problem, and it needs a fix.”