New body ‘not fit to deal with modern trade deals’
While further details on the membership and the scope of the recently announced Trade and Agriculture Commission were announced yesterday, farming bodies have warned that its work will be of little value if Parliament is not given a greater say in the ratification of new trade deals.
The farming unions have been calling for a commission to scrutinise trade deals and ensure they do not disadvantage UK producers and the high welfare, environmental and food safety standards to which they operate following the UK government’s refusal to give such assurance legislative backing.
But while the English NFU yesterday welcomed theannouncementofmore details of the commission by UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, as “a hugely important development”, it warned that it was “one part of a much broader challenge” which farmers faced in ensuring the UK’S trade policy didn’t disadvantage the sector.
While both the English and Scottish farming unions are represented on the commission, the English president, Minette
Batters, said that, nevertheless, the NFU would continue to scrutinise negotiations and engage directly with the government to ensure trade deals allowed export opportunities to be grasped.
“But this must not come at any cost – if the deal on the table means unfair competition for UK farmers in our home market, then our negotiators must be prepared to walk away,” said Batters who added that the UK’S high standards must not become a “bargaining chip”.
Batters also said that the work of the Commission would be of little value if Parliament was not given a greater say in the negotiations – and she added that the current arrangements for parliamentary oversight of trade agreements were from “a bygone era” of international treaties: “In today’s world of sophisticated supply chains, multilateral trading rules and extensive and complex regulatory frameworks, it must be brought up to date.”
NFU Scotland president Andrew Mccornick, who has been appointed to the commission, said that decisions taken as trade deals were set up would shape Scottish farming “for generations to come”.
And he added that while opening up new markets was important, ensuring the country’s high production standards were taken into account in trade talks was “absolutely critical.”
As well as farming unions, retailers, consumers, hospitality and environmental bodies from across the UK will be represented on thecommission, which will be chaired by Tim Smith, a former chief executive of the Food Standards Agency and Tesco Group technical director.
The body will report directly to Truss at the Department for International Trade, will run for six months and has been charged with submitting an advisory report which will be presented to Parliament.
Scottish rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing said that the temporary commission “lacked the teeth” needed – and questioned the lack of any direct input from the devolved administrations. “We absolutely agree on the paramount need for standards to be maintained – but this is not the way to do it,” said Ewing, who said that full legislative safeguards were required.