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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that geographical indications protection in the EU for Scotch whisky is maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Using powers under the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, we will create UK geographical indication (GI) schemes for wines, aromatised wines, spirits, and agricultural products and foodstuffs. This will provide UK protection for UK GIs - including Scotch Whisky - when we leave the EU and ensure that the UK fulfils its WTO TRIPS obligations.

Negotiations on GIs with the EU are continuing and our aim is that all current UK GIs will continue to be protected by the EU’s GI schemes after we leave the EU.