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 (a) has agreed on and (b) are working on to ensure that the UK's food supply is not affected when the UK exits the EU.

Food is one of the UK’s 13 critical infrastructure sectors and Defra produces an annual Sector Security and Resilience Plan working closely with industry sectors. The UK has a high degree of food security with access to a diverse range of sources of supply, including domestic production. This will continue to be the case after we leave the EU. Food supply is highly resilient with diversity and flexibility throughout the supply chain, and industry can respond quickly to ensure ongoing supply.

Defra has been working closely with other Government departments, including the Border Planning Group (BPG), which provides oversight and assurance of departmental plans for managing the border-related impacts of leaving the EU both for Day 1 and beyond. Planning work aims to ensure three key objectives for the border are delivered for Day 1 and beyond: maintaining security; facilitating the flow of goods and people; revenue protection.