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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many businesses in each sector are included within the Government's estimate that up to 500,000 businesses may be affected by a future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

The Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement agreement affects in some way:

1. most of the 209,000 farm holdings
2. most of the 20,000 food and drink manufacturing businesses
3. many of the approximately 170,000 food and beverage services (not including accommodation)
4. approximately 80 businesses in the pesticides sector
5. the majority of the 56,000 food and drink retailers
6. most of the 19,000 businesses in the food and drinks wholesale sector

These figures are based on data from the Food Statistics Pocketbook (2024) and official census and labour market statistics.