Written question asked by Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party) on Thursday, 14 February 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 18 February 2019. It was answered by George Eustice (Conservative) on Wednesday, 20 February 2019 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Opium

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what acreage of land in the UK is under cultivation for the legal production of opium poppies.

Answer: Defra does not hold any official statistics on the acreage of land under cultivation for the legal production of opium poppies in the UK. This information is collected under the category “crops for aromatic or medicinal use". This category includes plants such as poppies, lavender, chamomile, and plants or parts of plants used for pharmaceutical purposes, perfume manufacture or other aromatic products. As a consequence we are not able to distinguish the area of opium poppies from the other crops that fall into that category.

Secondary information