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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is the Government's policy that future trade deals on food and feed will provide for public and animal health protection equivalent to the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed after the UK leaves the EU.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is already working hard to ensure that our world class capacity to manage food incidents is maintained when the UK leaves the EU. From day one, the FSA are committed to having in place a robust system for detecting and responding to problems in the food chain. To ensure this, the FSA is working to foster strong relationships with competent food safety authorities in Europe, and worldwide, and to develop new risk communication systems. It is of mutual interest for the UK and other countries to work closely in this respect.

Maintaining safety and public confidence in the food we all eat is a high priority for the Government, and any future trade deal must work for UK farmers, businesses, and consumers.