Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) steps he is taking and (b) infrastructure is in place to protect the continuity of trade of products of animal origin and breeding stock after the end of the transition period; and what (a) steps are required and (b) infrastructure is yet to be implemented between the UK and EU in the event that no trade deal is agreed at the end of the transition period.

Further to the statement by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 23 September, the Government is committed to helping business prepare for the end of the transition period. The Government has launched an information campaign to communicate the actions that all businesses need to take before 31 December 2020, and detailed guidance is available on gov.uk/transition.

The Government is negotiating with the EU and has been clear that we want a free trade deal, based on friendly cooperation. The Political Declaration sets as an aim a zero tariff and zero quota FTA. We would like to achieve that. Reducing the costs and processes associated with trade is in the interests of people and businesses across the UK and the EU.

As previously set out through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), Defra and the Devolved Administrations can monitor the market situation across various agricultural commodities.