1. Introduction
1.1 As the UK’s statutory authorities responsible for safeguarding food and feed safety and protecting consumer interests—within England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (FSA), and within Scotland (FSS)—the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland have been commissioned by the Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security to deliver joint advice regarding the UK’s accession to the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) (footnote 1).
1.2 The UK-India CETA originated from the Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) agreed in May 2021, which laid the foundation for deeper trade co-operation. Formal negotiations commenced in January 2022, and an agreement was reached in May 2025, with the deal signed on 24th July 2025.
1.3 Before the CETA can take legal effect, it must undergo formal scrutiny in Parliament, as required by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (footnote 2).To support this process, the Government will publish a report under Section 42 of the 2020 Agriculture Act — an independent assessment focused specifically on agricultural trade. This report will evaluate whether the CETA’s provisions uphold the UK’s existing legal standards for protecting human, animal, and plant health, as well as animal welfare and the environment.
1.4 The request from the Minister came under Section 42(4) of the Agriculture Act 2020 (footnote 3) and focused on whether the provisions in the UK-India CETA affecting human health maintain the UK’s statutory protections, specifically within the areas overseen by FSA and FSS. This document presents the FSA and FSS’s joint assessment, which will be included as an annex to the Government’s Section 42 Report.
1.5 In summary, the FSA/FSS assessment is that:
- No changes to UK food and animal feed laws or standards are needed for the UK-India CETA to take effect.
- The UK-India CETA maintains all current UK rules and statutory protections on food safety and nutrition that fall under the responsibilities of the FSA and FSS.
- Some stakeholders and members of the public have expressed concerns about the agreement with India. Their concerns mostly centre on production standards, specifically the use in India of pesticides and antibiotics prohibited in the UK, and exceeding UK MRL’s (maximum residue levels) for pesticide residues. This feedback was shared in response to our Call for Evidence, and we reflect the key points related to FSA and FSS responsibilities later in this report under Section 12.
The agreement respects the respective powers of the UK Government and the devolved administrations to set rules on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures within their areas of competence. This means that any future decisions about domestic regulations will remain under UK and devolved government control.
- The agreement with India does not require any changes to UK laws that protect public health in relation to nutrition. This is based on analysis by the FSA and FSS, covering areas such as nutrition and health claims, adding vitamins and minerals, food supplements, foods for specific groups, and nutrition labelling.
- This trade agreement does not restrict the UK's ability to negotiate an SPS Agreement with the EU.