Government commits to higher food standards in trade deals

Defra secretary Steve Reed promised farmers at the NFU Conference that the government would not allow imports of food produced to lower standards than in the UK as part of new trade deals.

Mr Reed suggested that farmers had been sold out in past deals and stated that the L\abour government would never lower food standards in trade agreements.

He said: “We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage.

See also: UK considers deal to reduce EU trade barriers

“British farming deserves a level playing field where you can compete and win, and that is what you’ll get. We will use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors.”

Mr Reed also ruled out allowing imports of hormone-treated beef as part of any potential trade agreement with the US.

However, questions remain over whether the government will fix the existing situation, with food already coming into the UK that is produced to lower standards.

Mr Reed said the previous government had undercut UK standards with the Australia trade deal, but during a media briefing he rejected calls to review it, saying it took years to negotiate trade deals and you could not just rip them up.

The government came under pressure this week from campaign groups for purportedly attempting to block a legal challenge to the UK-Australia trade deal.

Import standards

The NFU called on the government to stop UK food imports which are produced to standards that would be illegal here.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said trade deals signed under the previous Conservative government had forced UK farmers to compete with such food, which was unfair, unworkable and wrong.

He said: “This new government has the opportunity to set a new course.

“I am fed up with hearing poultry farmers being told by government, supermarkets and others that they must reduce their stocking densities, while poultry produced to much lower standards is imported every day.

“Neonicotinoids banned for British farmers. Has there been any corresponding ban on importing food produced with neonicotinoids? A new fertiliser tax introduced. Will the tax apply to imported food, produced using fertiliser that doesn’t have a carbon tax?”

Mr Reed responded: “Neonicotinoids is an unusual situation in that neonicotinoids have been banned for a number of years, but every year the previous government gave extensions.

“We are not giving those exemptions. We now need to go back and look at the trade deals because it needs to line up with our commitment to not undercutting UK producers.”