Brexit Will Leave UK Exposed to 'Invasive Alien Species' and Diseases – Report

A House of Lords report has issued yet another warning about Brexit, stressing the need for Britain to continue to work with the EU on biosecurity even after it leaves the bloc.

The UK could struggle to defend itself from “invasive species” after Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned.

On Wednesday, peers of the EU Energy and Environment Committee raised fresh concerns over Brexit, especially in event a no-deal scenario, suggesting deadly diseases and pests could find their way to the UK and disrupt ecosystems and agriculture. 

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Once Britain withdraws from the union it will no longer be automatically part of the EU’s protective network, which consists of alert mechanisms, coordinated research and intelligence gathering.

“The UK government has a huge amount of work to do to replace this system in time for Brexit, and failure to do so could have an economic and environmental impact that would be felt for decades to come,” Lord Teverson, chairman of the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Committee, said.

Experts previously warned that the arrival of alien species, such as signal crayfish, are already accentuating the decline of native animals, while diseases from abroad are costing the British economy billions of pounds per year.

This is just the latest reported Brexit-related concern – the government, trade bodies and international organizations have issued countless warnings in recent months, ranging from security threats to potential economic chaos.

Numerous polls have shown support for Brexit to be falling, largely as a result of a hard Brexit looking more and more likely.

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