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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has made its proposed ban on the commercial import of foie gras produced by force-feeding conditional on the outcome of negotiations on a UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

The Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards an SPS Agreement. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS Agreement are underway and Defra cannot comment on these discussions while they are ongoing. However, this Government is clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.