Recommendation 31

HM Government Not Addressed

The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) is an independent advisory board, established in July 2020 by the Secretary of State for International Trade, to advise and inform the government on its future trade policies. Members of the Commission were selected to provide a wide range of relevant knowledge and expertise, consisting of individuals across the agriculture, retail, consumer, hospitality, animal health and environment sectors. Notably, this includes representatives of both Welsh farmers’ unions who have both been providing valuable contributions throughout. • Alongside the TAC itself, Welsh voices are represented within its three Working Groups and the TAC has also heard directly from agricultural stakeholders through a dedicated Welsh evidence gathering roadshow and a call for evidence survey. The TAC Secretariat has kept in touch with DIT’s Devolved Administration team and the Chair of the Commission has had further direct engagement with Welsh Government and DA representatives too. This extensive engagement will ensure that the TAC’s recommendations will be representative and robust. • Membership of the statutory Trade and Agriculture Commission has not yet been determined but will include those with expertise of standards across the UK. • The statutory Trade and Agriculture Commission will provide advice to the Secretary of State as part of the scrutiny process for Free Trade Agreements. Whilst this is a reserved matter, a copy of the report must be shared with the devolved administrations when shared with the UK Parliament.