Starmer urges PM to back farmers over food quality
LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the Prime Minister to back farmers in the South West and across Britain by guaranteeing the UK’s high food and farming standards in law after Brexit.
Ahead of a visit to National Farmers’ Union president Minette Batters, who has a farm in the South West, Sir Keir warned that without action to protect standards there was a “real risk” of lower quality food ending up on British plates.
He has written to Boris Johnson urging amendments to the Agriculture Bill, which sets out farming policy after Brexit, to guarantee high standards and stop imports of lower quality food.
The call comes amid growing concern that post-Brexit trade deals could allow imports of food produced in ways that would be illegal in the UK, undercutting British farmers and lowering standards for produce available to consumers.
The Government has made repeated pledges that high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards will be maintained, and food such as chicken washed in chlorine and beef from cattle fed with hormones will not be allowed in the UK.
However, the Conservatives have rebuffed attempts to include the protections in the Agriculture Bill going through Parliament, arguing existing laws already enshrine them and they have no intention of watering them down.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has led calls for the Government to put into law rules that prevent lower standard food being imported to the UK, with a million people signing a petition backing the move.
A survey for Which? found nearly three quarters of people did not think food from countries with lower standards should be on sale in the
UK, and several supermarkets have pledged not to stock such foods.
Sir Keir said: “No one wants lower quality food on our plates, but unless the Prime Minister shows some leadership and backs British farmers there is a real risk this could happen.”
Shadow environment secretary and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard, who is also visiting Ms Batters’ farm in Wiltshire to show Labour’s support for the NFU ‘Back British farming’ campaign, added: “No deal with the US or anywhere else is worth trading away our high values.”
Labour says it also wants the new Trade and Agriculture Commission, set up following calls from the NFU, to be able to assess each trade deal against core standards and ensure “proper” parliamentary oversight.
NFU president Ms Batters said: “It is great to have Sir Keir come out to visit my farm and understand more about both the challenges and opportunities that farmers face right now. As an apolitical organisation, we have always engaged with politicians from all parties on issues that are important to British farming. I have also met with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey today to discuss these issues. “This is a pivotal moment for British farming.”
A Government spokesperson said: “This Government has been clear it will not sign a trade deal that will compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards, and claims to the contrary are unhelpful scaremongering.”