No ‘race to the bottom’ on food, pledges Gove
© Dimitris Legakis / REX Shutterstock Defra secretary Michael Gove has pledged to protect British farmers against substandard food imports as he seeks to avoid a “race to the bottom” after the UK leaves the European Union.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, Mr Gove said UK food standards post-Brexit would be among the highest in the world. Imports of food produced using techniques banned in the UK would be allowed “over my dead body”, he told listeners on Friday (25 May).
See also: Brexit must deliver for farming, Theresa May told
More consumers were prepared to pay for food quality and provenance, said Mr Gove, who appeared keen to pre-empt accusations that “gold-plating” UK standards would leave British farmers unable to compete.
“The future for Britain – not just in this area but in other areas – is being seen to set some of the highest standards in the world. Of course there is the temptation to believe that left to their own devices politicians will conspire to lower standards everywhere.
Highest quality
“But actually, I think that the future British farming is to say we are not going to compete in a race to the bottom. We couldn’t win it and we shouldn’t try.
“We will succeed on the basis of consumers knowing that our food is of the highest quality and they can trace the journey from farm to fork and they can have absolute confidence that what they are buying is ethical and sustainable as well as being delicious and good value.”
Topics addressed by Mr Gove during an hour-long discussion included antibiotics in livestock production, promoting collaboration between farmers and his intention to base a new system of farm support based largely on environmental measures.
‘Over my dead body’
At one point, Mr Gove was asked whether UK standards would ever permit the “wholesale import” of American food, which include chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-produced beef – both methods banned in the UK. He replied: “Over my dead body, as it were.”
Mr Gove was also asked about messages emerging from responses to Defra’s Health and Harmony public consultation on the future of farming, which closed last month. A common theme was that the government must recognise the diversity of UK farming, he said.
It was also important to underline that the government recognised farmers would only be able to contribute to environmental enhancement if their businesses were successful – and that meant having food production at their core.
Farm policy must focus on food, warns Batters
NFU president Minette Batters has criticised what she described as the lack of focus on food production in Defra’s consultation on the future of farm policy post-Brexit.
Ms Batters was asked about the Health and Harmony consultation during a public discussion at the Hay Festival. “It didn’t really mention food at all, and we are farmers, that’s what we do – and we care for the environment as well – so I think that was a glaring oversight,” she said.
Much of the consultation document focused on plans to replace direct payments to farmers with a system of support based on rewarding farmers who undertake environmental measures. Ms Batters said Mr Gove had since acknowledged that it should have focused more on food.
The NFU had submitted a 100-page consultation response to emphasise the importance of food production, said Ms Batters. She added: “Apparently, he did design the title himself. I did point out to him that it is a beauty salon in Essex if you Google ‘health and harmony’.”
Most countries across the world supported farmers in order to keep food affordable, said Ms Batters. It was vital to ensure farmers were able to secure a fair return from the market before changing farm support, she suggested.
Radical changes were needed if the government really wanted to introduce a system of public money for public goods because farming was driven by global pricing. “You can’t just shut your eyes and say the market can run itself because the market is a savage beast,” said Ms Batters.