Tory peer’s fears over imports threat to farmers

A TORY peer from Yorkshire has claimed that disadvantaging British farmers by importing lower quality produce as part of a trade deal “is just not a Conservative thing to do”.

Conservative Baroness McIntosh of Pickering made the claim as she lobbied for an amendment to the Government’s Agriculture Bill, the legislation to shape the future of farming after Brexit.

The former Thirsk and Malton MP tabled an amendment to ensure animal health, hygiene or welfare standards for agricultural products could not be lowered below established EU or UK standards. It comes amid fears that the UK may be forced to accept the importing of food produced to lower standards as part of a free trade deal to lower tariffs with the US after Brexit.

In a debate in the Lords, Lady McIntosh said: “What concerns me here is that we seem to be disadvantaging our own farmers and producers in two ways.

“One is that while we are keeping the same high standards that we currently have and possibly raising them even higher, we seem to be contemplating importing produce of lower standards in marketing, environmental health, animal welfare and hygiene.

“That to me is just not a Conservative thing to do; I cannot believe we are even contemplating it.

“That is why the thrust of my amendment is that the regulations within this clause cannot be used to make provisions that will have the effect of lowering animal health, hygiene or welfare standards for agricultural products below those established in the EU or the UK.”

She added that mandatory labelling of food at the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, “does not encourage people to eat home-produced meat”. The peer pointed to the Red Tractor scheme, the largest food assurance scheme in the UK which she said was meant to show people that meat was produced to high standards.

She said: “But that is not the basis on which people buy their food; they buy on price. It can have as pretty a red label as you like, but people will often still buy the cheapest cut of meat.”