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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the role of importers and processors of grain and animal feeds in strengthening food chain security and resilience.

Food security is national security and is of the utmost importance. UK Food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Imports supplement domestic production and ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

The Department continues to assess the resilience of the agri-food supply chain through regular engagement with industry and cross-government coordination.

Together with the devolved administrations, Defra has established the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG) to monitor and assess the impact of market developments across the UK. It monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments, enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements.