Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 175773, who was responsible for deciding which 38 UK products among the 77 provided to the Japanese authorities on 30 April 2021 should go through Japan's procedures for the designation of geographical indications during the first tranche; and how those decisions were made.

On 30 April 2021 the UK shared a list of 77 UK geographical indications (GIs) with Japan. Due to the large number of GIs, Japan requested they be split into two batches to facilitate the necessary domestic procedures in Japan. All 77 GIs will undergo procedures in Japan.

The 38 GIs were selected following consultations with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a range of stakeholders. The selection took into consideration the views of devolved administrations, potential economic value, current export value, judgements on the potential for misuse and the geographic spread of products across the UK.