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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has allocated funding for the planning and construction of laboratories to inspect meat and plant products at the Dover entrance to the Channel Tunnel in the event that the UK leaves the customs union.

The animal and plant health conditions applicable to trade between the UK and the EU after the UK leaves the EU will be subject to negotiation. The outcome of these negotiations will influence what form of official controls will be required for trade with the EU in future, including at the UK border. Like all Government departments, Defra is working on preparations for a range of scenarios to deliver a smooth departure from the EU.