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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he expects by 24 October 2022 to complete the process of awarding protected geographical indication status to the 39 Japanese food and drink products on which his Department conducted consultation between 21 December 2021 and 21 February 2022.

As part of the Japan-United Kingdom Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Japan and the United Kingdom agreed to consider the protection of a significant further number of each other’s geographical indications (GIs). Both parties need to satisfactorily complete their own processes before confirming that the products are eligible for registration as GIs within their scheme. These processes are running concurrently. The intention is to protect the first tranche of Japanese GIs in Great Britain and British GIs in Japan on the same date once these processes are complete.

In addition to having examined Japan’s GIs, the United Kingdom has been supporting Japan to process the British GIs as quickly as possible. We look forward to the completion of this process and are prepared to jointly announce the protection of the first tranche of GIs. However, we cannot confirm that the announcement will be made by 24^th October 2022.