Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
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 he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of food shortages in shops after the transition period.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response, provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry, which is experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.
In terms of disruption at the border, the Border Operating Model (www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-border-operating-model) provides greater detail on how the border with the EU will work following the end of the Transition Period and the mechanisms which will seek to mitigate the impact of additional volumes of traffic. We will, for example, have a contingency measure to prioritise single loads of fresh seafood and day old chicks which met the bar of hitting two out of three of the following criteria: perishability, animal welfare considerations, and economic impact on a specific geographical area. Defra is working very closely with other Government departments and local stakeholders, such as the Kent Resilience Forum, to ensure that those wishing to trade with the EU can do so in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Defra has made regulatory provisions for all veterinary medicines currently authorised for use in the UK via an EU approval system to continue to be authorised in the UK after the end of the transition period. These products can remain on the UK market for sale and supply in their existing packaging.
Defra’s close working relationship with the veterinary pharmaceutical industry has enabled the industry to prepare for the end of the transition period, including taking mitigating actions in the event of disruption to supply. These activities include maximising stocks within the UK and diverting supply routes away from the short straits, where the greatest risk of interruption to supply is posed, that being from border disruption. In addition, veterinary medicines are classified as eligible for use of the Government Secured Freight Capacity.
We have well-established mechanisms for dealing with supply issues as and when they arise. Enhanced early warning indicator systems are now in place which will provide early warnings of demand exceeding supply. The prescribing cascade legislation, which for availability and animal welfare reasons permits veterinary surgeons to import veterinary medicines from outside the UK, allows sourcing of products from countries beyond the EU.
Almost all fresh produce (including fruit, vegetables and cut flowers) from the EU will not be subject to any plant heath import controls until April 2021. From April, fresh produce will require a phytosanitary certificate and some goods will also require pre-notification. Importantly, there will continue to be no physical checks required at the border until July 2021 for almost all produce. From July onwards physical checks will be undertaken at approved designated Border Control posts on a risk basis. Any required checks will be performed as quickly as possible to minimise delays to the passage of goods and maintain border flow.
The phased approach will allow time for trade to adapt to the new import requirements for EU goods.
GB plant health authorities are undertaking significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors in order to service the demand for import and export checks and certification. We will have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 and ensure minimal disruption to trade. GB plant health services are currently reviewing their operating hours to make sure that biosecurity standards will continue to be met and strengthened in ways that support trade and the smooth flow of goods while minimising new burdens on businesses.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which species of fish are referred to in the Bilateral Fisheries Memoranda with (a) Greenland and (b) Iceland; and what effect those agreements have on fishing quotas.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The aims of the bilateral Memoranda of Understanding with Greenland and Iceland are to promote discussion and cooperation on fisheries issues with both of the two countries. Fishing opportunities form no part of either of these Memoranda. Accordingly, no species of fish are referred to and neither Memorandum has any effect on fishing quotas.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which species of fish are mentioned in the UK-Norway Fisheries Framework Agreement of 30 September 2020; and what changes that agreement makes to quotas.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK-Norway fisheries framework agreement does not refer to any species of fish or quotas of fish stocks, nor does it provide for any access to UK waters. The framework agreement sets out that these issues will the subject of annual negotiations between the parties.
Certain stocks in the North Sea that are jointly managed between the UK, Norway and the EU will be subject to trilateral discussions between the parties.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
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 that standards of poultry welfare are maintained in a potential future trade agreement with the US.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government is proud of the high food safety and animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. The UK will maintain its high standards as part of any future free trade agreements.
The Withdrawal Act transfers onto the UK statute book all EU food safety and animal welfare standards including the ban on production and importation of chlorinated chicken. Our current high standards, including import requirements, will apply when we leave the EU.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to progress trade opportunities with China in poultry meat and breeding stock.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
China is a priority market for UK food and drink exports and Defra has been working closely with the UK poultry industry and the Department for International Trade, including with colleagues in Beijing, to identify and develop trade opportunities in the poultry sector.
We are currently unable to export poultry to China due to a ban which China imposed following outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that occurred in the UK in poultry from 2014-2017. We have achieved a number of positive steps towards lifting the ban, including the UK being recognised as officially free from HPAI by the World Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE) since September 2017. The UK also successfully hosted a Chinese inspection visit of Avian Influenza controls in the UK during September 2018.
Whilst the ban remains in place, the Chinese inspection report was positive with regards to the strength of our HPAI controls. We will continue to work across Government and with industry to enable the ban to be lifted.
Once the ban is lifted, we can progress to resuming live exports of poultry, which was an open export market prior to the implementation of the ban.
Following re-opening of pre-existing trade, we can then undertake the longer process of opening a brand new market for the poultry sector, namely poultry meat exports. We will look to build on the successful visit in September 2018 of the UK AI controls to aid in providing the reassurance to China to open this new market, which would extend the range of poultry products available for UK industry to export to China.