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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the context of any international trade agreement entered into once the UK has left the EU, how they plan to ensure that the current environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards of British food are protected against competition from imported food that is produced to lower standards.

When we leave the European Union, we will maintain our current environmental, animal welfare, and food safety standards. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Bill will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of exit.

These standards will continue to apply to both our own great British produce and that imported from our trading partners overseas. It is vital that we explore new trading opportunities, but these should not mean a dilution of the standards for which British food is world renowned. Any future trade agreements must work for consumers, farmers, and businesses in the UK.