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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on food supplies of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what plans his Department has to (a) maintain food supply and (b) protect against increases in food prices.

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. We have a highly resilient food supply chain and consumers in the UK have access to a range of sources of food. This will continue to be the case when we leave the EU, with or without a deal.

The food industry is experienced in dealing with scenarios that can affect food supply, from adverse weather damaging crops in other countries to transport issues abroad. We are meeting weekly with industry and retailers to make sure we are prepared for all scenarios as we leave the EU.

On food prices, we have observed that the most important drivers of change in the cost of food are global food commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices. This will continue to be the case once the UK has left the EU; the UK Government has no direct control of these factors. The UK Government does not have any role in setting food prices nor does it comment on the pricing policies of the food industry. We are working closely with industry to promote transparency for consumers and internationally to promote open global markets.