Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Welsh Lamb Exports

Wednesday 3 February 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The UK Government have taken significant steps to support and promote Welsh lamb exports around the world, including securing a tariff-free deal with the EU and protecting the Welsh lamb geographical indicator.
  • My right hon. Friend Theresa Villiers is correct that rules on international trade require sanitary and phytosanitary rules to be based on risk and science, and the Government will put immediate pressure on the European Union to lift unreasonable compliance requirements on British food exports.
  • Lamb exporters in west Wales have raised concerns about delays at EU ports due to issues with animal export health certificates, and there is an urgency to resolve these problems, though some may be resolved quickly while others require longer-term structural solutions.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Theresa Villiers Con
Wales Business & Trade
Context

No background context provided.

Question

What steps he is taking to promote exports of Welsh lamb around the world.

Answer from Simon Hart

The UK Government have taken significant steps to support and promote Welsh lamb exports around the world. That includes securing a tariff-free, quota-free deal with the EU and securing the protection of the Welsh lamb geographical indicator as part of the Japan deal.

Answered
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Q2 Theresa Villiers Con
Business & Trade
Context

No background context provided.

Question

Rules on international trade require sanitary and phytosanitary rules to be based on risk and science, so will the Government put immediate pressure on the European Union to lift the unreasonable compliance requirements it is imposing on British food exports? They are disproportionate, given that our food standards and rules are among the very toughest in the whole world.

Answer from Simon Hart

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right, particularly in her last point, and I can offer that guarantee. We are in regular contact with our colleagues in the EU about this specific point, and there are meetings later this week involving the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on this and related issues.

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Q3 Ben Lake PC Ceredigion Preseli
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

Lamb exporters in west Wales have raised concerns about delays of two to three days due to supposed issues with animal export health certificates.

Question

Lamb exporters in west Wales have raised concerns about the delays they are facing at EU ports, reporting that some shipments have been held by customs officials for two to three days because of to the supposed issues with animal export health certificates. Can the Secretary of State enlighten us as to whether he expects an urgent resolution to this problem?

Answer from Simon Hart

I do not know how “urgent” would be defined in the EU at the moment, but certainly there is an urgency to resolve some of these problems. As I have mentioned, there are some teething issues that can be resolved quite quickly. If there are longer-term structural issues, they need to be looked at in more detail.

Partly answered

Not addressed: definition of 'urgent'

How: We Are In Regular Contact, Teething Issues

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Q4 Craig Williams Con
Brexit Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The questioner is seeking a meeting with officials from Montgomeryshire to address health certificate delays at EU ports.

Question

Welsh lamb is a premium product that is wanted across the world. Welshpool livestock market, which is usually the heart of my farming community, is quieter because of covid, but the sheep meat prices are still robust. Will the Secretary of State meet me, farmers and slaughterhouses in Montgomeryshire to discuss the health certificates and the wider SPS issues on the EU border, which are clearly out of order?

Answer from Simon Hart

I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend and his constituents; I used to live in his constituency, so I know some of them quite well. He is right to raise this issue. One of the companies in question is meeting the Cabinet Office later this week; that is progress.

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