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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on levels of (a) businesses importing (i) food and (ii) agricultural products and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Target Operating Model (TOM) provides certainty for businesses and seeks to minimise friction. It will strike the appropriate balance between supporting businesses moving goods into Great Britain and protecting the UK’s biosecurity and reputation as a responsible trading nation. We have been listening closely to the feedback we have received from businesses on the draft TOM and have designed it to work fairly and proportionately across all business sizes and models.