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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect (a) the Cambridgeshire Fens and (b) the UK from Chinese mitten crabs.

The Government takes invasive species seriously and has legislated to prevent the further introduction and spread of Chinese mitten crab. As a ‘Species of Special Concern’ it is subject to the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that it cannot be brought into Great Britain, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. Defra funds the Fish Heath Inspectorate to carry out work to prevent the illegal sale and spread of this species.

Defra and the Environment Agency will continue to look for ways to manage this species but are currently not aware of any cost-effective or proven control methods, and there is limited scientific evidence on potential management approaches and its impacts.