Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions have taken place between UK and Australian trade negotiators on potential UK import restrictions on meat products treated with growth-promoting antibiotics.

The fourth round of negotiations on the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was held virtually from 22^nd February to 5^th March, covering trade in goods among other issues typically covered in a comprehensive FTA.

The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones in both domestic production and imported products, and is a world leader in the battle against antimicrobial resistance – significantly cutting our use of antibiotics in farming.

Furthermore, all agri-food products imported into the UK under existing or future FTAs will, as now, have to comply with our import requirements, which include clear controls on limits of veterinary medicine residues in meat and other animal products.