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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56471 on foie gras import controls, if he will publish a timeline for the negotiations of the proposed UK-EU common veterinary agreement; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including provisions that would enable the UK to impose trade restrictions on animal products in future on public morality grounds.

Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade.

It is too soon to comment on the details of the negotiations. However, animal welfare is a priority for this Government. We are committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy and will use the most appropriate tools to do so.