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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent food shortages in the event of a supply chain disruption in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal. Food supply is highly resilient with diversity and flexibility throughout the supply chains, and industry responds quickly to disruptions in supply.

Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario has been under way for almost two years. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry on food supply chain issues and we are using these to support preparations for leaving the EU. This includes working with Defra’s long established Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG), which allows Government and industry to work together to plan for and respond to any food supply disruption. This industry group’s membership is drawn from across the agri-food chain sector and includes other relevant government departments, Devolved Administrations and agencies.

Defra will continue to work closely with food industry stakeholders to continue to build shared understanding of the impacts of a no deal scenario on food supply and contingency planning measures being taken by industry. Ongoing close collaboration between Government and industry is essential to plan for, respond to, and mitigate any potential disruption.