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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to enhance collaboration with EU authorities to (1) facilitate smoother import and export processes, and (2) uphold food safety standards.

Since the publication of the draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) on 5 April 2023, Defra and the UK Government have been engaging with all border stakeholders to ensure that every actor is as prepared as possible for the controls outlined in the BTOM.

We are working with officials at ports to enable us to monitor trade flow at the border and we have planning in place that will mitigate disruption or queues. These measures include approaches that reduce the chances of delays due to trader administrative errors contained in official documentation.

The implementation of controls on EU goods does not change the safety standards of imported food. It has reduced the risk of plant and animal pests and diseases reaching GB and potentially causing significant disruption to domestic production, as well as assuring the safety of all imported food.