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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken to introduce health and safety checks on imports from the EU on (a) biosecurity and (b) food safety standards.

We have worked very hard to get this right. We are aware of the uncertainty this may have caused however remain committed to delivering the Government's priorities which includes a commitment to delivering the world’s most effective and efficient border.

We held workshops with industry to develop our ideas on a new Border Target Operating Model, we then tested our conclusions with stakeholders to ensure the model was both ambitious and deliverable. We have engaged closely with stakeholders with a wide range of views, considering the balance of appropriate facilitations with biosecurity and security risks.

We have designed a global risk-based import model for Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) goods that will deliver a streamlined approach which protects public, plant and animal health, boosts our economic growth, and minimises friction at the border.