Mr. William Lavelle:

The withdrawal agreement already provides for a number of EU-UK withdrawal agreements. The geographic indications for the three cross-Border spirits are unique within the EU. They will be the only three geographic indications of approximately 3,000, if one takes everything from Italian cheese and Parma ham to champagne, which cross a border. As such, there is a definite need for close co-operation. That co-operation already exists. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the competent authority in this jurisdiction while HMRC and Defra are the competent authorities in the UK. There is already very close co-operation on the application and enforcement of the geographic indications and we want to ensure it continues. We hope that as part of an agreement under which there is a whole architecture and infrastructure of joint committees, there is a specific joint committee on geographic indications given their unique cross-Border status.