Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for the public procurement of sheep meat in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government already requires all Government Departments to follow the “Balanced Scorecard” methodology and the "Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering” when buying food and services, and making catering decisions. These standards require all meat products to meet UK minimum standards and encourage sourcing of seasonal produce.
In the event of a ‘no deal’, we are preparing contingency plans to minimise as much as possible the disruption across the range of our food and farming sectors. The Prime Minister and Secretary of State have made clear that we will support vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers through Government intervention should this be necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of preventing imports of sheep meat into the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government announced on 13 March that we would apply the maximum level of tariff protection in line with our World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments for the UK sheep meat sector. In particular, the tariff for sheep meat would be set at the ‘bound rate’, which is the highest tariff we are able to apply to imports.
The UK would, however, be retaining a share of current EU WTO quotas for sheep meat, including imports from New Zealand to meet our commitments at the WTO. The share has been calculated based on apportioning the EU quota in proportion to previous trade flows.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for listing the UK as a third country for the purposes of exporting sheep meat to the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
If the UK leaves the EU in a no deal scenario then it will be treated as a third country.
In order to be prepared for all possible outcomes, the UK submitted its application for listing as a third country to continue exporting live animals and animal products to the EU after EU Exit. In the event of a no deal exit, without listed status exports of animal products, the export of most live animals to the EU could not take place.
When the relevant EU committee (‘SCoPAFF’) met on 9 April, Member States unanimously voted to list the UK. This vote guaranteed that exports of live animals and animal products to the EU could have continued if the UK had left the EU without a deal on 12 April.
The 9 April decision would only have come into force if the UK left the EU on 12 April. Following the Article 50 extension in April, the European Commission have confirmed a further SCoPAFF vote will be required to list the UK prior to a potential no deal EU Exit in the future. We are confident the UK will continue to meet the requirements for listing should that be required.
We would expect the Commission to hold the further SCoPAFF meeting ahead of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of potential demand for UK produced sheep meat in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government recognises the concerns of our UK sheep farmers and is determined to get the best deal for them as we leave the EU. The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheepmeat in the EU. Around a third of production is exported, 95% of which is to the EU.
We are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges our farmers will face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. In the event of a ‘no deal’, an increased availability of lamb on the domestic market could filter through to increased demand for our globally recognised product.
A recent study carried out by The Andersons Centre for the UK’s levy bodies for the red meat sector looked into the impact of tariff and non-tariff measures on the sector, which included analysis on domestic consumption.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
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 has in place to deal with sheep meat that is not sold into the EU as a result of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised sheep meat.
As a responsible Government it is our duty to prepare for every eventuality, including that of no-deal. Significant work is underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets. We are confident that we will achieve third country listing with the EU prior to our departure, as we did prior to the April date. This will allow the UK to export to the EU. A no-deal Brexit would mean that goods traded between the EU and the UK will be subject to the same tariffs as goods from third countries.
The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheep meat in the EU. Around 30% of production is exported, with 95% of these exports going to the EU. The application of high EU tariffs on UK exports of sheep meat will have a substantial negative effect on the income of UK sheep farmers. At Defra, we are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges they face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. We will be monitoring the market situation closely and My Rt Hon friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that we will support our most vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers.
Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK.
We are in regular dialogue with the farming unions, processors and allied industries about storage, feed and other supplies in the event of a no deal. These discussions have been constructive and will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
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 has taken to ensure adequate amounts of animal feed are available to feed sheep that are not sold to the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised sheep meat.
As a responsible Government it is our duty to prepare for every eventuality, including that of no-deal. Significant work is underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets. We are confident that we will achieve third country listing with the EU prior to our departure, as we did prior to the April date. This will allow the UK to export to the EU. A no-deal Brexit would mean that goods traded between the EU and the UK will be subject to the same tariffs as goods from third countries.
The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheep meat in the EU. Around 30% of production is exported, with 95% of these exports going to the EU. The application of high EU tariffs on UK exports of sheep meat will have a substantial negative effect on the income of UK sheep farmers. At Defra, we are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges they face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. We will be monitoring the market situation closely and My Rt Hon friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that we will support our most vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers.
Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK.
We are in regular dialogue with the farming unions, processors and allied industries about storage, feed and other supplies in the event of a no deal. These discussions have been constructive and will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
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 ensure his Department will have adequate cold storage facilities available for the storage of sheep meat in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised sheep meat.
As a responsible Government it is our duty to prepare for every eventuality, including that of no-deal. Significant work is underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets. We are confident that we will achieve third country listing with the EU prior to our departure, as we did prior to the April date. This will allow the UK to export to the EU. A no-deal Brexit would mean that goods traded between the EU and the UK will be subject to the same tariffs as goods from third countries.
The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheep meat in the EU. Around 30% of production is exported, with 95% of these exports going to the EU. The application of high EU tariffs on UK exports of sheep meat will have a substantial negative effect on the income of UK sheep farmers. At Defra, we are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges they face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. We will be monitoring the market situation closely and My Rt Hon friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that we will support our most vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers.
Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK.
We are in regular dialogue with the farming unions, processors and allied industries about storage, feed and other supplies in the event of a no deal. These discussions have been constructive and will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans his Department has made in relation to sheep that are not sold to the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised sheep meat.
As a responsible Government it is our duty to prepare for every eventuality, including that of no-deal. Significant work is underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets. We are confident that we will achieve third country listing with the EU prior to our departure, as we did prior to the April date. This will allow the UK to export to the EU. A no-deal Brexit would mean that goods traded between the EU and the UK will be subject to the same tariffs as goods from third countries.
The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheep meat in the EU. Around 30% of production is exported, with 95% of these exports going to the EU. The application of high EU tariffs on UK exports of sheep meat will have a substantial negative effect on the income of UK sheep farmers. At Defra, we are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges they face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. We will be monitoring the market situation closely and My Rt Hon friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that we will support our most vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers.
Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK.
We are in regular dialogue with the farming unions, processors and allied industries about storage, feed and other supplies in the event of a no deal. These discussions have been constructive and will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the rearing and sale of lamb and mutton of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the European Union and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised sheep meat.
As a responsible Government it is our duty to prepare for every eventuality, including that of no-deal. Significant work is underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets. We are confident that we will achieve third country listing with the EU prior to our departure, as we did prior to the April date. This will allow the UK to export to the EU. A no-deal Brexit would mean that goods traded between the EU and the UK will be subject to the same tariffs as goods from third countries.
The UK is the largest producer of sheep and by far the largest exporter of sheep meat in the EU. Around 30% of production is exported, with 95% of these exports going to the EU. The application of high EU tariffs on UK exports of sheep meat will have a substantial negative effect on the income of UK sheep farmers. At Defra, we are doing all we can to mitigate the challenges they face and we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. We will be monitoring the market situation closely and My Rt Hon friend, the Secretary of State, has made it clear that we will support our most vulnerable sectors, such as our sheep farmers.
Government has also pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK.
We are in regular dialogue with the farming unions, processors and allied industries about storage, feed and other supplies in the event of a no deal. These discussions have been constructive and will continue.
Asked by: Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he plans to use the next Spending Review to reduce economic inequalities between the north and south of England.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
Since 2010, over 60% of jobs have been created outside of London and the South East, and all regions of the North of England have seen faster nominal productivity growth over that time period than London and the South East. The Government is continuing to support the Northern Powerhouse, for example, the £2.5bn Transforming Cities Fund as well as Devolution deals for Manchester, Liverpool and North of Tyne. We will continue to support this growth through the Spending Review later this year and other policies such as a refreshed Northern Powerhouse Strategy.