Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial assistance the Government plans to make available to businesses required to make operational or regulatory changes as a result of a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is working to support businesses to prepare for future changes to sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements with the European Union. Negotiations are ongoing. An agreement will make agrifood trade with our biggest market easier, cutting costs and reducing red tape for British businesses, while enabling quicker, smoother trade. The Government is committed to transparent engagement with industry and will review what information can be appropriately shared with stakeholders throughout this transition.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 31 May 2026 on Preparing for a future Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement with the European Union: Business readiness information, what assessment her Department has made of the proportion of affected businesses that are currently prepared for the implementation of the proposed arrangements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government invited views from businesses and stakeholders on the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement through a Call for Information, to understand awareness of the agreement and how it may affect them. The Government is analysing responses and will publish the full findings in summer 2026.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total cost to businesses of complying with any new certification, labelling, IT system, and regulatory requirements arising from a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The precise impacts of the agreement will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. As technical negotiations progress, this Government expects to follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly. Defra officials have been listening to businesses to understand how the agreement will affect them and will work with them to ensure a smooth transition.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many businesses in each sector are included within the Government's estimate that up to 500,000 businesses may be affected by a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement agreement affects in some way:
These figures are based on data from the Food Statistics Pocketbook (2024) and official census and labour market statistics.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises that may need to make changes to production processes, certification, labelling, IT systems or compliance arrangements as a result of a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The precise impacts of the agreement will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. As technical negotiations progress, this Government expects to follow normal processes for any necessary legislative changes and assess impacts accordingly. This Government has been listening to businesses to understand how the agreement will affect them and will work with them to ensure a smooth transition.