Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the potential contribution of agri-food businesses to food security in Northern Ireland is recognised in future negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Government is engaging in constructive dialogue with the EU to find shared solutions to problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. The current technical discussions between UK and EU officials are a positive step forward however significant gaps remain between our positions.

We have been clear that facilitating movement of agri-food goods between GB-NI is a critical issue to be addressed as part of any enduring solution on the Northern Ireland Protocol. It remains our preference to resolve this through talks - but the situation in NI is urgent, and we have therefore brought forward the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to address these issues.