Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the cost to the UK frozen food industry of tariffs applied to frozen fruit imported from Serbia as a result of the UK not yet having a trade deal with that country.

The United Kingdom has been trading on Most Favoured Nation (MNF) terms with Serbia since the 1^st January 2021. Prior to this imports of frozen fruit from Serbia had been eligible for tariff free access to the UK.

Overseas trade data is only available for the first two months of 2021, but the UK has imported approximately £350,000 of frozen fruits from Serbia in this period. Estimated additional duties paid on these imports are approximately £40,000.

Signature of the UK-Serbia continuity agreement is expected imminently, which would remove future MFN duties on imports of frozen fruit from Serbia.