Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: September 2023

Attendees and apologies

• Lesley Griffiths MS, Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd
• Julie James MS, Minister for Climate Change both from the Welsh Government
• Thérèse Coffey MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at DEFRA
• Lord Benyon, Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs at DEFRA
• James Davies MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales all from the UK Government
• Mairi Gougeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform, and the Islands from the Scottish Government
• Katrina Godfrey, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, attended on behalf of the Northern Ireland Civil Service

Items and actions

The meeting opened with a discussion on preparations for the implementation of the Windsor Framework. Work has been completed at pace to ensure the UK is ready for implementation of the majority of the framework on 1 October 2023. Collaboration will continue in order to ensure the remainder is ready for 2024. Ministers discussed the importance of both business engagement and providing clarity on future labelling requirements. 

Following this UK Government ministers outlined plans for COP28 and ministers agreed to consider priority areas for collaboration in the net zero space.

Next Scottish Government presented a paper on plans to ban the sale and possession of glue traps and its interaction with the UK Internal Market Act. It was noted that engagement between governments is ongoing, and it was agreed that further discussions would take place at the next IMG.

The final substantive item involved a discussion on the  Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the importance of ensuring the devolved governments are involved in early discussions at the appropriate level for any EFRA-facing aspects of future FTAs and the need to ensure existing standards are not undermined by future deals. Assurances were given by DEFRA on engagement and that nothing in CPTPP would require the UK to lower its standards across the EFRA-space.

Finally, there were a number of AOB items relating to dangerous dogs, water quality testing, the export of live animals and wet wipes containing plastic.