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 potential impact of the UK-Japan organic equivalency agreement on organic farmers and producers in Buckinghamshire.

Japan is the second largest organic market in Asia, valued at an estimated £1.4 billion in 2023, and expanding rapidly, driven by Japanese government initiatives to promote organic consumption domestically. The UK-Japan agreement to formally recognise the equivalency of each other’s organic livestock standards will help British exporters to meet growing consumer demand for organic products in Japan.

Defra has a network of 16 agri-food and drink attaches who work to remove trade barriers and support UK agri-food businesses to export. This includes an attaché based in Japan. Last year the network removed over 50 trade barriers, estimated by industry to be worth £127million per annum.

Businesses in Buckinghamshire can access a range of tools and support available through the Business Growth Service via business.gov.uk to help businesses sell abroad and find the best country for their product. Additional support can be accessed through the UK Business Academy, which is a free training programme for UK businesses looking to grow their international sales.