UK Government department Defra has confirmed it will not lift the ban on selling water hyacinth, despite an independent assessment concluding the pond plant posed no invasive risk in the UK under foreseeable climate conditions.
Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was once a popular plant for garden ponds but was banned from sale under EU invasive species legislation in 2016. While the plant can cause environmental problems in warmer climates, trade association OATA says the UK’s colder winters and lack of winter sunlight mean it cannot survive year-round outdoors.
A scientific review in March 2023 selected several species for delisting but the government maintained the ban, a decision that OATA says has cost the UK ornamental aquatics industry more than £3.5 million in lost sales.
OATA chief executive Dr Matthew Bond said: “We are deeply disappointed that Ministers have decided to retain this ban despite the Government’s own scientific advice that the plant does not pose an invasive risk in the UK under foreseeable climate conditions.
“British businesses have been left waiting nearly four years for a decision, despite repeated efforts to get the legislation changed. The necessary legislation had even been drafted before the last General Election but never made it onto the statute books.
“Now we learn those plans have been abandoned. At a time when the Government says it wants to drive economic growth and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, this decision makes no sense and is a real blow to our industry.”
Defra ministers said they “were not satisfied that the case for change sufficiently mitigates the potential risks”.
