Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 120296, what representations (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have received from (i) the Agricultural Biotechnology Council and (ii) manufacturers of genetically modified seed products on reducing the level of regulation of such products after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

As the representative body for manufacturers of genetically modified (GM) seeds, the Agricultural Biotechnology Council has made Defra aware of its views on future regulation in this area.

The Government’s policy is to maintain high safety standards on GM products, with their release subject to a robust assessment of the potential impact on human health and the environment.