Agricultural Products: UK Trade with EU
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK standards on pesticides and animal welfare could diverge from EU rules under the proposed SPS framework.
Answered by Emma Hardy
The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and regulatory barriers for British producers and retailers.
Under the UK‑EU Common Understanding, it is recognised that there will be areas where the UK will retain its own rules. The details of this are subject to negotiation, but the Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.
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