Written question asked by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Monday, 23 May 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 May 2022. It was answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative) on Wednesday, 1 June 2022 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

UK Trade with EU: Perishable Goods

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of facilitating a fast-track route for exports of perishable goods from the UK to the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: The Government works with relevant authorities to mitigate delays for passengers and freight travelling from the UK to the EU. In traffic management plans any prioritisation or fast-track route is extremely difficult and open to legal challenge. Therefore the most effective approach is to keep all traffic moving safely. Previous prioritisation schemes designed to pre-empt readiness issues associated with EU-exit did not need to be deployed and the legal gateway for them has closed.

Secondary information