Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to evaluate the effectiveness of trade missions dedicated to British agriculture.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is supporting British food and farming’s untapped global potential through new trade agreements, including with India, and progressing negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier.
In 2025 our global network of agri-food attachés resolved further export barriers which industry estimate are worth over £125 million. Recent successes include securing market access for dairy to Egypt, worth £35 million per year, and pork exports to Mexico, worth £3.8 million per year.
Dedicated trade missions support this work, helping farmers and growers get British produce into new markets overseas and unlocking export barriers.
Asked by: Maya Ellis (Labour - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support dairy farmers in Ribble Valley constituency.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK dairy sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years.
This Government recognises that food security is national security, and that it requires a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports farmers. That is why we are introducing new deals for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security.
Ensuring fairness in supply chains is key for UK dairy farmers and supporting the sustainability of the sector. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which fully came into force on 9 July 2025, improve fairness and transparency, requiring dairy contracts to include clear terms on pricing, termination, and prohibiting unilateral changes.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reintroducing a milk strategy for schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only
Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. As part of the School Food Standards, lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk must be available to children who want it for drinking at least once a day during school hours. It is a legislative requirement that milk is provided free of charge to pupils who meet the free school milk criteria, and schools may charge all other pupils.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads the School Milk Scheme Strategy, which supports the provision of milk in schools. The strategy aims to support the consumption of dairy products by children from an early age to promote healthy eating habits and good nutritional health, and support efforts to tackle child obesity by part subsidising, or reimburse in full where relevant, the cost of a daily portion of dairy in line with national guidance. The Strategy also sets out who the support is targeted at and the eligible products that can be supported.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trading arrangements with the European Union on British agri-food exporters.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An SPS agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16% [Methodology Note: How Defra has estimated the impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement on the UK agricultural sector - GOV.UK ].
Defra commissioned research highlights significant non-tariff measure costs for exporting GB agri-food and plant products to the EU [Quantifying Non-Tariff Measures on GB to EU Agri-Food, Plant Products and Fisheries Trade - WR0717 ]:
The SPS agreement will significantly reduce these costs. Details are subject to negotiation. The government will follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has undertaken a cost–benefit analysis of potential changes to sanitary and phytosanitary procedures applying to UK–EU exports.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An SPS agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16% [Methodology Note: How Defra has estimated the impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement on the UK agricultural sector - GOV.UK ].
Defra commissioned research highlights significant non-tariff measure costs for exporting GB agri-food and plant products to the EU [Quantifying Non-Tariff Measures on GB to EU Agri-Food, Plant Products and Fisheries Trade - WR0717 ]:
The SPS agreement will significantly reduce these costs. Details are subject to negotiation. The government will follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of consignments of (a) beef, (b) salmon, (c) dairy products, (d) apples and (e) cheese were subject to SPS sampling requirements since 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not hold that information. This because rates of sampling will vary according to the type of commodity, the country of export or origin of the goods, the disease status in that country or place of origin, and any treatments or processing that may have been applied to the products.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47160 on Food: Import Controls, what additional funding has been provided to ports and airports relating to the ban on personal imports of meats and diary products from EU countries.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is currently funding Dover Port Health Authority to help identify illegal meat and dairy imports. We have not provided additional funding to ports and airports relating to the ban on personal imports of certain meat and dairy products from EU countries.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to end temporary restrictions on the import of (a) meat, (b) dairy and (c) animal products from the European Union in the context of the World Organisation for Animal Health's recognition of all European Union member states as free from foot-and-mouth disease.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Restrictions on commercial imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from Slovakia in response to foot and mouth disease (FMD) remain in place pending UK recognition of FMD freedom.
Restrictions on personal imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from the EU will remain in place while the biosecurity risk remains. As well as FMD, these measures mitigate against incursions of other animal diseases circulating in the EU, including African swine fever, sheep pox and goat pox, peste des petits ruminants and lumpy skin disease.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to British businesses of not securing a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the European Union.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra commissioned research highlights significant non-tariff measure costs for exporting GB agri-food and plant products to the EU:
The SPS Agreement will significantly reduce these costs. The details of the Agreement are subject to negotiation.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of trends in the level of global milk demand.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Uk Agricultural Market Monitoring Group which was established by Defra and the Devolved Governments under the Devolution Framework is responsible for the oversight and monitoring of the UK agriculture market. This includes a review of prices, production, inputs and trade covering an assessment of current and future global demand for dairy products. The current position indicates broadly stable demand for dairy across the world alongside continued rising supply and falling prices.