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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure there will be adequate availability of plant protection products following the removal of parallel trade permits.

The parallel trade arrangements set out in EU legislation were based on information sharing between the Member States. Parallel trade permits that were in place when the UK left the EU have been continued for a time. Defra is aware that sales of these parallel products end on 30 June 2023, and the final date for use is 30 June 2024. The Secretary of State is committed to supporting farmers with appropriate use of plant protection products, within the context of securing a thriving, environmentally sustainable farming sector. Defra is aware of farmer concerns about parallel trade permits and, together with the Health and Safety Executive, we are monitoring the situation.