Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his European transition responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:28 pm on 11 November 2020.
I thank the Member for that supplementary and for her continued advocacy on behalf of food producers in her region. We have made the case consistently to the UK Government in the context of the international trade negotiations about how important it is to maintain food standards in defence of our food producers here in Wales. It is, in fact, an important part, not least of the reassurance that we give to consumers in Wales and other parts of the UK, but also of the Welsh brand internationally, as we seek to take advantage of further export opportunities into the future. So, we are very concerned at any possibility of a reduction in standards and the undercutting that that would potentially entail. We must not put our producers in a position where they face unfair competition. So, I will reassure the Member that we continue to make that case to UK Government Ministers. She will also know, of course, that the threat of lower standards, possibly indirectly as a consequence of imports from other parts of the world, is one of the reasons we have been so concerned about the UK Government's proposals in the internal market Bill, which, as she will know, is pretty much designed to ensure that the lowest standards across any part of UK prevail. I know that she will share our serious concerns about the impact of that Bill and our resistance to its provisions.