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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans the Government has in place to support vulnerable people in the event food prices rise significantly in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

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. This will continue to be the case when we leave the EU, with or without a deal. The size and diversity of the industry is a key factor in enabling the food sector to remain resilient to food supply chain disruptions.

The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry to minimise potential disruption. This includes working with Defra’s long established Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG), which allows Government and industry to work together to plan for and respond to any food supply disruption. This industry group’s membership is drawn from across the agri-food chain sector and includes other relevant government departments, Devolved Administrations and agencies.

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.