Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the global wildlife food trade in China and the spread of COVID-19.

The origin of the Covid-19 virus is not yet clear, although it has been linked to viruses occurring in animals. Pandemics arise as a combination of events and are a global concern. The World Animal Health Organisation, of which the UK is a member, will be addressing wildlife trade at the next general session. It will be important to definitively establish Covid-19's origins in due course. On 24 February 2020 China announced a proposal prohibiting the trade and consumption of wildlife and we will continue to discuss this important issue with the Chinese government.