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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on the just-in-time models of (a) cold-chain haulage and (b) storage businesses.

The Government has and will continue to engage stakeholders across the food supply chain in the design and implementation of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), including the cold chain haulage and storage industries. We have listened carefully to this feedback, and designed the BTOM so that it minimises disruption and friction for traders to the greatest extent that is consistent with the imperative to protect UK biosecurity. We recognise that these controls do place a new requirement on such businesses, and that they will need time and support to adjust. As such the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health/Local Authorities will adopt a carefully calibrated approach to enforcement that minimises the risk of disrupting trade flows, with an emphasis on educating and supporting businesses to comply. We are confident that Border Control Post infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability, including temperature-controlled facilities, to handle the volume of expected checks from 30 April. This will further ensure the impact on just-in-time models is minimised.