Eustice fails to convince at talks

While being greeted as “a friend and ally”, new Defra Secretary George Eustice was unable to fully convince farmers at yesterday’s English NFU AGM that the country’s high food and animal welfare standards would not be undermined by cheap imports in post-brexit trade agreements.

Speaking after the minister had given an address in which he reassured NFU members that these standards would not be jeopardised, president Minette Batters said that there seemed to be a total lack of agreement on the issue within government: “And while the government has given warm words and spoken about raising the bar to ensure UK farmers produce to the highest standards in the world, it is a major disappointment that it is still silent on how it will honour its commitment that it will not compromise on standards and extend this to imported produce.”

Turning to the delegates she added: “And if the government chooses not to follow such a course then, quite simply, that puts these guys out of business.”

And while Eustice disagreed that no assurances had been given on this front – pointing to his party’s manifesto pledges he said that a mandate for the terms of trade discussions would be published shortly.

However, Batters said that with the resurrected UK Agriculture Bill set to be debated shortly, the success of an amendment designed to ensure equal standards - which had been raised by Eustice himself after he had resigned from the May government and had briefly been on the back-benches – would be critical.