Agricultural Products: Trade Agreements

(asked on 24th May 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice his Department has provided to the Department for International Trade on the methodology for the assessment of whether the measures in trade agreements negotiated before the requirements of section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 come into force are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protection for (a) human, animal or plant life or health, (b) animal welfare and (c) the environment.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 27th May 2021

In all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high animal welfare, environmental protection and food standards.

Prior to negotiations commencing, the Government will publish a scoping assessment of the broad impacts of new FTAs. Following the conclusion of all negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to implementation. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will feed into this where appropriate.

This commitment is in addition to the usual parliamentary scrutiny process under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaG) which will ensure the House has sufficient time to scrutinise the detail of any deal.

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