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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it will remain his Department's policy to retain the ban on the importation of citrus products that have been treated with (a) oxytetracycline and (b) streptomycin after the UK leaves the EU.

The Government’s policy is to agree a deal with the EU in which case the UK will enter an implementation period. During this time, EU law will continue to apply whilst the Future Economic Partnership is negotiated. Longer term policy on plant protection will depend on the outcome of those negotiations.

At the point of departure from the EU in a no deal scenario, the UK will retain current EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides in UK law, along with the existing regulatory processes for determining whether any new UK MRLs should be set.

Oxytetracycline and streptomycin are not approved as active substances for use in the EU and no food, irrespective of its origin, is permitted to have residues at levels consistent with use of the substances. This applies to all food placed on the market, including imports. This will remain the position under UK law unless revised UK MRLs are requested and found to meet all the legal requirements. These requirements include demonstrating, on the basis of scientific data, that the proposed MRL does not put consumers’ health at risk.