UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP): FSS and FSA call for evidence

Summary

Seeking stakeholder views on whether and to what extent provisions in the CPTPP that relate to trade in agricultural products may affect the maintenance of UK statutory protections for human health.

This call for evidence will be most relevant to:

• consumers
• trade associations 
• NGOs and interested parties.

Purpose of the call for evidence

Stakeholder responses will inform FSS and the FSA advice to the Department for Business and Trade that will contribute to the UK Government report (required under Section 42(2) of the 2020 Agriculture Act) as part of the Parliamentary scrutiny process for this Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

How to respond

Submissions should be:

• submitted as a Microsoft Word document
• no longer than 2 pages in length (using Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing and margins of 2.54cm)
• Submissions may be cited by FSS and the FSA in their advice. If you would like all or part of your submission to be treated as confidential, please contact FSS and the FSA on ftascrutiny@food.gov.uk. FSS and the FSA have full discretion to decide on the relevance of submissions.

Submitting persons or entities must list their website (if an organisation), along with an email address and a named contact. Submitting persons or entities may be contacted for further information.

Details of call for evidence 

Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency (FSS and FSA) seek stakeholder views on whether and to what extent provisions in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that relate to trade in agricultural products may affect the maintenance of UK statutory protections for human health, in line with the FSS and FSA remit which covers food safety and nutrition. 

Please note that, in accordance with the commissioning letter from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to FSS and the FSA, submissions should not address animal or plant life or health; animal welfare; and environmental protections as these areas will be assessed by the Trade and Agriculture Commission.

Evidence required

Textual evidence on whether and to what extent the measures applicable to trade in agricultural products in CPTPP are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protection in relation to food safety and nutrition.

Responses

Responses are required by close 10 September 2023. Please state, in your response, whether you are responding as a private individual or on behalf of an organisation/company (including details of any stakeholders your organisation represents).

Please send responses to ftascrutiny@food.gov.uk.

For information on how the FSA handles your personal data, please refer to the FSA Consultation privacy notice.