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

To ask His Majesty's Government what are their negotiating objectives for their proposed sanitary and phytosanitary agreement with the European Union.

The Government is committed to resetting relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union. As part of this reset, we believe the trading relationship can be improved. The UK and the EU are each other's largest agri-food markets; in 2023, 57% (£14 billion) of UK agri-food exports were to EU countries, and 72% (£43.8 billion) of UK agri-food imports were from EU countries. We have said we will seek to negotiate a veterinary/ sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers on both sides.