Law to protect food standards ‘ could hit trade’
Truss refuses to back Bill amendment
LIZ TRUSS has rebuffed fresh calls to guarantee in law all UK farming standards, claiming such a move would disrupt trade with developing nations.
The International Trade Secretary told MPs Labour’s approach could result in a “blanket ban” on any food products which do not comply exactly with British farming regulations.
Speaking in the Commons, Ms Truss asked Labour counterpart Emily Thornberry: “So is she saying she wants to ban Kenyans from exporting their products to us if they don’t follow exactly the same farm standards as here in Britain? I want to make sure our farmers are able to continue with their high standards, but I don’t want to stop developing countries exporting their goods to us.”
The pair clashed during international trade questions yesterday as Ms Thornberry warned of the impact of the Government’s post- Brexit policy on British farmers.
The House of Lords last month amended the Agriculture Bill in a bid to block the import of foodstuffs produced abroad at lower animal welfare standards, amid warnings over chlorinated chicken entering the UK market from the US.
The amendment would require the new Trade and Agriculture Commission to provide Parliament with independent advice about the impact every trade deal
will have on our food and farming standards.
And campaigners say such a move is vital to prevent the interest of British farmers being damaged.
The Government is expected to overturn the amendment in the Commons on Monday, and has consistently argued existing protections are already in place and they have no intention of watering them down. But Tory MPs such as York Outer’s Julian Sturdy say they will back the amendment.
Ms Thornberry earlier said: “If it is ( Ms Truss’s) argument that we don’t need Labour’s amendments because bans on relevant imports are already enshrined in law, can she please tell us which law prevents the import of pork that has been produced on American farms that continue to use sow stalls?”
Ms Truss replied: “Well ( Ms Thornberry) is of course talking about an animal welfare issue, and as I made very clear earlier on, we will not allow the high animal welfare standards of our pig producers to be undermined.”
Ms Thornberry countered: “There is no import ban against pork produced on farms using sow stalls because, as ( Ms Truss) said, it’s an issue of animal welfare not one of food safety.
“That means, if the Government drops tariffs on US pork, British pork farmers will be undercut by cheap imports from American agricultural companies using practices that have been banned in our country for the last 21 years.
“So will the Secretary of State listen to reason and write into the law the protection of all UK farming standards against imports that don’t meet them?”
I don’t want to stop developing countries exporting their goods to us. Liz Truss, International Trade Secretary.