Asked by: Lee Barron (Labour - Corby and East Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the temporary removal of tariffs on egg imports from Ukraine on UK egg producers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2028 following the two-year extension announced on 19 January 2026.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of extending tariff-free access for Ukrainian eggs on the level of domestic food security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
Ukrainian imports of poultry and eggs currently constitute a small proportion of the UK’s total imports of these products. The Government consistently considers the views of industry and impact of imports on the UK market from all countries, including from Ukraine. The department will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.
Asked by: Aphra Brandreth (Conservative - Chester South and Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of poultry and egg imports from Ukraine on the UK market following the extension of tariff free access in February 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
Ukrainian imports of poultry and eggs currently constitute a small proportion of the UK’s total imports of these products. We consistently consider the views of industry and impact of imports on the UK market from all countries, including from Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.
Asked by: Lord Wharton of Yarm (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of poultry and egg imports from Ukraine in meeting demand that cannot be met by domestic production of those products.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
We consistently consider the views and impact on our domestic industry, and this is reflected in our approach to tariff liberalisation support for Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.
In 2024, domestic production made up 89% of eggs consumed and 83% of the poultry meat consumed. Our food security relies on a combination of both domestic production and a secure import route. Ukrainian imports of poultry and eggs currently constitute a small proportion of UK consumption and account for a small proportion of the UK’s total imports of these products.
Asked by: David Smith (Labour - North Northumberland)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an agreement with Ukraine on egg imports on domestic egg production,.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine, tariffs on all goods are temporarily removed until March 2029, except for poultry and eggs, where the liberalisation is due to end on 31 March 2026.
We consistently consider the views and impact on our domestic industry, and this is reflected in our approach to tariff liberalisation support for Ukraine. We will continue to take these views into account as part of our policy development process.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 64014 on Food Supply, by what metrics his Department (a) measures and (b) forecasts annual domestic food production.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra produces a comprehensive set of metrics to measure annual domestic food production but does not produce forecasts of domestic food production. These statistics cover a wide range of indicators, including:
These metrics are publicly available in either the annual publication "Agriculture in the United Kingdom" at Agriculture in the United Kingdom - GOV.UK or on the Food & Farming Statistics publication page at Food, Farming and Bio-security statistics - GOV.UK.
Asked by: David Burton-Sampson (Labour - Southend West and Leigh)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the tariff free period on Ukrainian (a) poultry and (b) eggs imports will end; and whether he plans to extend that agreement.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The UK Government is fully committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. As a part of this commitment, tariffs on all goods under our Free Trade Agreement with Ukraine are temporarily removed until March 2029, except poultry and eggs where tariffs are removed until March 2026.
This is a reciprocal agreement, with tariffs also removed on UK exports to Ukraine. Before the end of the liberalisation period both the UK and Ukraine will review options and jointly decide whether to extend the liberalisation commitments further.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to prohibit the import of chlorine-washed poultry in trade deals.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Our approach to trade deals ensures all agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements to be placed on the UK market. There is no import ban in the UK on dairy products from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, however consignments must be accompanied by animal and public health certification and come from approved countries and establishments. We will not change this in any trade deal.
The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones, beta-agonists such as ractopamine and anything other than potable water to decontaminate poultry carcasses in both domestic production and imported meat products.
We will continue to maintain our existing high standards for animal health and food hygiene, ensuring that imported products comply with our import requirements.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) products of animal origin and (b) products containing products of animal origin have entered the UK from (i) Germany, (ii) Slovakia and (iii) Hungary since imports have been restricted following outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in those countries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Since the introduction of foot and mouth controls for Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, there has been an effective prohibition on the movement of impacted goods into GB. It is important to note that most products of animal origin are not prohibited from these countries, for example poultry meat. Only products from susceptible animals that have not been treated to the required level to mitigate disease risk are prohibited, for example fresh beef.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help prevent traders from declaring that food and drink imports produced by Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are Produce of Israel.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead. All food sold on the UK market, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The government continues to review existing legislation through post implementation reviews.
Country of Origin labelling is compulsory for prepacked unprocessed beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat and most unprocessed fresh fruit and vegetables.
Where origin information is not required, it can still be provided as long as it does not mislead. We support accurate labelling of settlement goods, so as not to mislead the consumer.
Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. Concerns that a specific food does not comply or is otherwise misleading, should be raised with a local trading standards officer who will be able to investigate and take necessary action.