The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee has
written to Secretary of State Rt Hon MP, after his appearance in
front of the Committee last week raised serious concerns about
his department’s preparations for a ‘no deal’ Brexit
scenario.
The Committee’s letter raises five key
concerns:
-
Whether there will be a delay in the UK being able
to export animals to the EU. Unless the Government can persuade
the EU to give the UK ‘listed’ status in advance of Brexit, all
animal exports could be halted for months.
-
All animal exports that currently travel
Dover-Calais will have to be re-routed. Calais does not have a
Border Inspection Post; something all animal exports would have
to pass through in a ‘no deal’ scenario.
-
The Government’s ability to control access to UK
waters. The Committee were concerned that the Secretary of
State had yet to receive permission to obtain the additional
staff and boats required for fisheries control and
enforcement.
-
No agreement has been reached on how shipments of
waste from the UK to the EU will be approved. The waste
industry has told the Committee that this could lead to 1.8m
tonnes of waste being ‘stranded’ in the UK.
-
The Secretary of State seemed unaware that UK
chemical companies may not own the rights to the data that
proves their chemicals are safe to use. The Government’s plans
for the chemical industry in the case of a ‘no deal’ Brexit are
predicated on companies being able to provide
this.
Read the full letter here
Notes to
Editors
-
The Committee took evidence from MP on Wednesday 17th
October, watch the session back here.
-
The evidence session was part of the Committee’s
inquiry EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee is
examining the UK’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit, and the
potential impact this could have on the agriculture, fisheries,
environment and energy sectors.
