Government pledges to uphold farm standards in trade deals

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to uphold the UK’s high environmental, animal welfare and quality standards amid a raft of new measures launched to boost overseas trade.

The pledge was made in response to recommendations included in a Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) report released in the summer.

Responding to the report, the government said it was going further than ever before to work with trading partners on animal welfare and tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in trade agreements.

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The pledge is underpinned by the new measures which include:

• An independent watchdog to ensure new trade deals meet commitments on health, welfare and quality standards
• A cohort of agri-food attachés to establish trade links overseas
• A Food and Drinks Export Council to promote exports from all areas of the UK

The independent watchdog is actually a strengthened version of the TAC. The commission’s members, which include veterinary, farming, environment and international trade policy sector experts, will provide expert scrutiny of agreements at the signature stage.

It will be chaired by Lorand Bartels, a Cambridge University professor and expert in World Trade Organisation legislation and international law.

The commission’s formal role will be to advise parliament on free trade agreements (FTAs) and whether they meet UK environmental, plant and animal health standards, a government spokesperson said.

The TAC’s advice will inform a government report, which will be laid before parliament ahead of the ratification of any new FTA and following the signature stage.   

Agri-food trade counsellors

Meanwhile, efforts to establish export markets will be bolstered by the 22 new international “agri-food attachés”. These will work on the ground in locations around the world to promote export opportunities for UK farmers and producers.

They will also provide market intelligence and technical expertise to unlock any potential local barriers to trade with the UK. 

In addition, the new Food and Drink Export Council will work in collaboration with industry and governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to promote exports from all parts of the UK, helping to level up the country.

International trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the measures reconfirmed that maintaining the UK’s high standards would be a red line in all trade negotiations.

Ms Trevelyan said: “Any deal we sign with other countries will include protections for the agriculture industry, and we have a range of tools to defend British farming against any unfair trading practices.”

TAC chairman Prof Bartels added: “The commission has an important role to play in the scrutiny of new FTAs and it’s exciting to be involved as the UK forges new trading relationships all around the world.”