Standards would be illegal here

AT last a meaningful amount of rain has fallen, with the promise of more in the coming days.

We needed it badly here on the farm, as some grazing pastures were drying up and silage aftermaths were struggling to recover properly. The first cut has been excellent.

However, the yields have been average at best, so we really need the next few weeks to go well. With timely application of fertiliser and slurry what could go wrong?

We’ve just finished our first cycle of AI on the cows and with help from our staff, managed to service 94% of the herd in the first 21 days. I just hope they hold well, as fertility is a key part of any dairy business.

There are many keys to unlocking potential success in any business. Many of them are held within ourselves, however some of these keys are held by people outside the farm gate.

None more so than by government and how they view the progression of our farming industry, not only on the global stage but more importantly domestically, post Covid-19 and beyond.

It is only right that we set our production to a high standard, giving the consumer confidence that our products are of the highest quality with health, safety, animal welfare and the environment at the forefront of all our decisions.

So it is with astonishment that I read that the Westminster Parliament has opposed an amendment within the Agriculture Bill that would not allow trade deals which include imported food produced to standards that would be illegal here.

I do understand that the Bill is still making its way through the legislative process, and that there is a lot of political horse trading with other countries such as the US, however with the promise in the manifesto that this would not happen what are we to believe?

Which? magazine conducted research which found that 93% of people expected food standards to be maintained after leaving the EU, and 72% of people think that food imports of lower standards should not be allowed, it seems common sense to me.

AHDB found that significant volumes of butter are exported to the US from the EU, as our quality is so superior.

Do our political leaders really want us to send quality there and expect us to receive hormone induced beef in return? I think not!

Please write to your MP and keep the pressure up, guide them toward the right answer.