Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the (a)(i) validity of cases brought before the WTO dispute resolution mechanism to which the EU has been the respondent which relate to food standards and (ii) proportionality of the EU's response to those cases in the last 10 years and (b) the potential for the UK to face similar disputes in the event that it maintains the same food standards after leaving the EU.

The European Commission was responsible for responding to the WTO disputes relating to food standards, including contesting the validity of the challenge where appropriate, and developing a proportionate response. The EU will continue to act on the UK’s behalf in WTO disputes while we remain a Member State. The UK, through its membership of the EU has supported WTO actions taken by the European Commission.

The UK supports the global-rules based system and recognises the importance of complying with WTO rules. We recognise the importance of all our actions being WTO compliant. My officials are looking at where potential disputes could arise, including reviewing case law, to help us prepare for any potential future disputes across a range of issues. We are currently building our capability to conduct international trade disputes independently after we leave the EU. We will be ready to protect UK interests and to defend any disputes brought against us.