Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK's (a) progress towards the net zero target and (b) food standards are improved as a result of the UK-Australia trade deal.

The UK is committed to making progress towards reaching net-zero and the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) recognises our right to regulate to do so. The FTA includes provisions which affirm our commitments under the Paris Agreement and strengthen our cooperation in areas including biodiversity, emissions reduction, and green technologies.

Our FTA with Australia will also remove tariffs on goods which benefit the low-carbon economy, for example tariffs of up to 4% on imports of Lithium will be eliminated on entry into force of the agreement.

The agreement protects the rights and freedom of both countries to regulate to uphold food safety standards. Consumers can be confident in the safety of food imported as imports will still have to meet our existing and future standards under this deal.