Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that the UK aligns with the package of regulations set out under the EU's smarter rules for safer food proposals after the UK has left the EU.
The UK has been influential in the development of the Smarter Rules for Safer Food regulations since their inception and we are broadly supportive of them. Our approach to these regulations is guided by our commitment to maintaining both the highest standards of biosecurity in the UK and frictionless trade at the border.
If Parliament approves the deal negotiated by the Government, the EU Plant Health and Official Controls regulations will start to apply in the UK during the implementation period, on 14 December 2019. The Animal Health regulation will apply in the EU from April 2021, after the end of the proposed implementation period, so it would not apply directly to the UK. In this situation, while we support the overall principles, we would review the final details to determine our overall approach to alignment.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, our approach on alignment will be determined by taking account of the final details of the three regulations, including the associated tertiary legislation which is still being negotiated.