Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Cheap post-Brexit food imports threatening UK farmers
Theresa May was in Llanelwedd yesterday at the Royal Welsh winter fayre to try and reassure farmers that her proposed deal with the EU will not adversely affect them. However, as this report in the Independent reports, there is a very real threat of cheap, low-quality goods entering the country and undermining home-grown food following our exit from the EU.
The paper says that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee have concluded that the government’s agriculture bill must be amended to ensure goods meet current rules for production, animal welfare and the environment:
The warning from MPs comes after committee members questioned environment secretary Michael Gove at the end of October about the bill and its failure to stop products like chlorinated chicken entering the country.
Following the hearing, the National Farmers’ Union told The Independent that British farming “operates to some of the highest standards in the world” and said it was vital this was not undermined after Brexit.
Mr Gove said he agreed with these sentiments, but added that in his view the proposed changes to future trade deals fell outside the scope of the bill.
In a new report, the Efra committee members said the government must “put its money where its mouth is” when it comes to maintaining high standards following Brexit.
They also expressed disappointment that they had not been given ample opportunity to scrutinise either the agriculture or fisheries bills.
Efra chair Neil Parish, a former farmer himself, noted: “The UK currently has exceptionally high environmental and food standards and an internationally recognised approach to animal welfare.
“This legacy cannot be ripped apart by the introduction of cheap, low-quality goods following our exit from the EU.”
Besides the chlorine-washed chicken that is reportedly poised to flood the UK market from the US, there have also been warnings of hormone-treated beef that is currently not allowed in Britain.
“Imports produced to lower standards than ours pose a very real threat to UK agriculture. Without sufficient safeguards we could see British farmers significantly undermined while turning a blind eye to environmental degradation and poor animal welfare standards abroad,” said Mr Parish.
Another threat that needs to be countered if we come out of the EU.
The paper says that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Committee have concluded that the government’s agriculture bill must be amended to ensure goods meet current rules for production, animal welfare and the environment:
The warning from MPs comes after committee members questioned environment secretary Michael Gove at the end of October about the bill and its failure to stop products like chlorinated chicken entering the country.
Following the hearing, the National Farmers’ Union told The Independent that British farming “operates to some of the highest standards in the world” and said it was vital this was not undermined after Brexit.
Mr Gove said he agreed with these sentiments, but added that in his view the proposed changes to future trade deals fell outside the scope of the bill.
In a new report, the Efra committee members said the government must “put its money where its mouth is” when it comes to maintaining high standards following Brexit.
They also expressed disappointment that they had not been given ample opportunity to scrutinise either the agriculture or fisheries bills.
Efra chair Neil Parish, a former farmer himself, noted: “The UK currently has exceptionally high environmental and food standards and an internationally recognised approach to animal welfare.
“This legacy cannot be ripped apart by the introduction of cheap, low-quality goods following our exit from the EU.”
Besides the chlorine-washed chicken that is reportedly poised to flood the UK market from the US, there have also been warnings of hormone-treated beef that is currently not allowed in Britain.
“Imports produced to lower standards than ours pose a very real threat to UK agriculture. Without sufficient safeguards we could see British farmers significantly undermined while turning a blind eye to environmental degradation and poor animal welfare standards abroad,” said Mr Parish.
Another threat that needs to be countered if we come out of the EU.
