Lords to quiz minister and FSA on post-Brexit food safety
4 Mar 2019
Peers on the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment sub-committee will quiz a government minister and the head of the Food Standards Agency on the Brexit implications for food safety today (Wednesday 6 March).
Steve Brine MP, parliamentary under-secretary at the Department of Health, and Social Care and FSA chair Heather Hancock will give evidence on the UK’s preparedness to manage a no-deal scenario from the end of this month.
The committee will also examine what influence Britain can continue to exert during the transition period for the UK withdrawal from the European Union and how auditing and inspection functions currently done by the EU will be continued at domestic level.
Currently, most decision regarding food safety are taken at EU level before implementation by member states. From 29 March 2019, surveillance, inspection and decision-making will pass to the UK and a system will need to be in place to administer this.
As well as interrogating the minister as to how prepared the country is for the changeover, peers will also ask him to clarify whether the UK will still have access to EU intelligence and assessments during transition.
