EFRA Committee to scrutinise UK’s agri-food trade policy
20 Nov 2023
House of Commons
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA) - Watch live on parliament.tv
Inquiry - UK trade policy: food and agriculture
EFRA Committee to scrutinise UK’s agri-food trade policy
Evidence session
Tuesday 21 November at 14:30, Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Watch live on parliament.tv
Over 4 million people were employed by the UK’s agri-food industry in 2022, with the sector contributing £127bn to the economy in 2021, but how coherent is the UK’s agri-food trade strategy and could it be improved? This is what MPs on the EFRA Committee will be setting out to explore in their evidence session next Tuesday.
The cross-party Committee will take evidence from sector experts on the effectiveness of the UK’s trade strategy for food and agriculture. The hearing will scrutinise whether the Government’s approach to agri-trade policy has maximised opportunities for businesses in the sector.
Since leaving the EU the UK has signed three Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), with negotiations for other trade agreements currently ongoing. The Committee will next week look at the impact of the Australia and New Zealand FTAs on UK agriculture, investigating the opportunities and challenges that these FTAs present.
The evidence session will analyse how flexible the Government’s agri-food trade strategy is, particularly considering the sector’s ability to cope with global shocks, in light of recent volatility. MPs will examine how the UK’s approach compares to those of other major economies and whether there are lessons that can be applied to the UK context.
Witnesses
From 14:30
- Robert Sheasby, Chief Executive at Agricultural Industries Confederation
- Katie Doherty, CEO at International Meat Trade Association
- Sean Ramsden, Director at Food and Drink Exporters Association
From 15:30
- Dr Phil Hadley, International Trade Development Director at Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)
- Balwinder Dhoot, Director of Sustainability and Growth at Food and Drink Federation
- Dr Ludivine Petetin, Reader in Law at Cardiff University
Further information:
- This is the Committee’s first evidence session of the ‘UK trade policy: food and agriculture’ inquiry.