PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Food: Imports (22 June 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the need to introduce a trade, food and farming standards commission to ensure food imports continue to meet existing UK food standards after the transition period.

Asked by:
Alex Davies-Jones (Labour)

The approach of HM Government to food standards in trade deals is clear. We remain firmly committed to upholding our high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards. Having left the EU, we will decide how we set and maintain our own laws, standards and regulations. We will remain global leaders in environmental protection and animal welfare standards, maintaining the high-quality of our produce for consumers at home and overseas.

The United Kingdom’s food standards, for both domestic production and imports, are overseen by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. These agencies provide independent advice to HM Government and the devolved administration in Scotland respectively. They will continue to do so in order to ensure that all food imports comply with the United Kingdom’s high standards.

Decisions on our standards are a matter for the United Kingdom and will be made separately from any trade agreement. HM Government will stand firm in trade negotiations to make sure that any future trade deals live up to the values of farmers and consumers across the United Kingdom.

Answered by:
Mr Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative)
25 June 2020