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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for listing the UK as a third country for the purposes of exporting sheep meat to the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

If the UK leaves the EU in a no deal scenario then it will be treated as a third country.

In order to be prepared for all possible outcomes, the UK submitted its application for listing as a third country to continue exporting live animals and animal products to the EU after EU Exit. In the event of a no deal exit, without listed status exports of animal products, the export of most live animals to the EU could not take place.

When the relevant EU committee (‘SCoPAFF’) met on 9 April, Member States unanimously voted to list the UK. This vote guaranteed that exports of live animals and animal products to the EU could have continued if the UK had left the EU without a deal on 12 April.

The 9 April decision would only have come into force if the UK left the EU on 12 April. Following the Article 50 extension in April, the European Commission have confirmed a further SCoPAFF vote will be required to list the UK prior to a potential no deal EU Exit in the future. We are confident the UK will continue to meet the requirements for listing should that be required.

We would expect the Commission to hold the further SCoPAFF meeting ahead of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.