Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What steps her Department is taking to help ensure the recovery of international trade after the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Restoring an open trading system is vital for global recovery post-COVID. We will continue to champion free and fair trade, and we will support business recovery by opening up markets through free trade agreements, our new Export Strategy, and driving investment across all parts of the United Kingdom. Our ambitious free trade agreement with the US aims to reduce tariffs for key exports such as dairy. As Cornwall and the South West account for two-thirds of all our dairy exports to the US, this will be particularly important for local businesses in my Hon. Friend’s constituency and the surrounding areas, such as Davidstow creamery.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of whether the UK would have to have a trade deal with China in the event it joined NAFTA.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The UK does not comment on the content of agreements signed by other countries, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is the agreement from the renegotiated NAFTA.
The UK is committed to strengthening our trade relationships with all countries, including the US, Mexico, Canada and China.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of export opportunities in the dairy sector.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The dairy sector is an important contributor to food and drink exports with increasing demand internationally for our products. For example, cheese is our 5th largest food and drink export and has seen a 26% increase in exports to £292m for the first 6 months of this year. Milk, cream and butter are also seeing increasing demand internationally.
The Department for International Trade’s food and drink team currently run six high value campaigns targeting China, India, Western Europe, North America, Latin America and the Nordics. The dairy sector is integral to the delivery of these campaigns.
To recognise the importance of the food and drink sector, the Great British Food Programme has been designed to allow South West food and drink businesses to directly interact with overseas buyers. Since April 2016 DIT South West has helped businesses in the sector win over £19.5m worth of export business across more than 30 markets.