Lobby bodies have warned that the UK must not give into pressure to sacrifice British farming standards in a bid to strike trade deals with nations such as the US.
It comes as details of US negotiating objectives for a potential trade deal with the UK have been made public, with bodies warning that Wednesday’s vote is the “last chance” to protect British farming standards from lower standard imports.
The UK currently has much higher standards than many non-EU countries with which it is seeking trade deals.
For example, many US farms use growth hormones on cattle. In most states, sow stalls and conventional battery cages are still used and poultry meat is washed chicken in chlorine.
NFU president Minette Batters said: “It comes as no surprise that the USA is seeking comprehensive access to the UK’s agricultural market and is pushing for a trade deal that accepts US production standards and practices.
The NFU has been very clear on this point. It is imperative that any future trade deals, including a possible deal with the USA, do not allow the imports of food produced to lower standards than those required of British farmers.
“British people value and demand the high standards of animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety that our own farmers adhere to. These world-leading standards must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of reaching rushed trade deals. We should not accept trade deals which allow food to be imported into this country produced in ways which would be illegal here.
“We will continue to work with others to ensure safeguards are included in legislation that establishes a comprehensive role for Parliament in scrutinising and ratifying future trade deals, and to ensure food imports into the UK are produced to at least our own high standards.
“British farmers play a strategically important role in producing food for the nation, all while caring for our cherished countryside.
“There is the potential for British farming to produce more and export our high standards around the world, whilst at the same time ensuring we take further steps to safeguard Britain’s environment. We are urging the Government to seize this opportunity.”
‘A last chance to protect our standards’
RSPCA head of public affairs David Bowles added: “News of the US administration’s objectives for a trade deal with Britain after Brexit is very concerning for animal welfare.
We have repeatedly said that Brexit offers the opportunity for the UK to be a world leader in animal welfare, producing a gold standard in how farm animals are treated.
“The UK currently bans products such as chlorinated chicken, hormone-treated beef or cruel farming practices such as the conventional battery egg cage or pig sow stalls. Unless we uphold these standards when we leave, we face a race to the bottom, where price, not quality, influences what ends up on our supermarket shelves.
“The Government has consistently said it would not negotiate away our high animal welfare standards but has failed to put this into legislation.
“Next Wednesday’s vote is the last chance to protect our consumers, farmers and high welfare standards. We cannot allow the US to open the flood gates to imported goods produced under much lower farm animal welfare standards than we currently accept.
Farmers here could be undercut by these cheaper, lower-quality imports with shoppers facing products currently illegal.
“Ensuring animal products that are imported to the UK meet our high welfare standards must be a priority not just for animal welfare reasons but also to protect the integrity of UK food and the commercial viability of UK farming.”
