Farmers have welcomed plans for a brand new physique to advise ministers on welfar
Farmers have welcomed plans for a brand new physique to advise ministers on welfare requirements and truthful competitors in commerce offers with the US and different nations.
The Commerce and Agriculture Fee will make suggestions to authorities on methods to cease the trade from being under-cut by cheaper imports and to extend export alternatives.
It follows a latest Commons insurrection by Conservative MPs over the problem.
Ex-minister George Freeman warned the brand new physique should not be a “speaking store”.
The UK is within the early phases of negotiating new commerce agreements with the US, Japan and New Zealand, amongst others, following its departure from the EU earlier this yr.
Agriculture is ready to be a key battleground, significantly within the US talks, with British farmers fearful that it might see a flood of low-cost imports from producers with much less stringent animal welfare requirements.
The UK desires high-quality meals imports to be topic to decrease duties to encourage international producers to match British requirements however the US is urgent for larger market entry throughout the board.
Final month, dozens of Conservative MPs defied the whip in calling for more durable safeguards on meals requirements to be assured in UK legislation, together with a continued ban on the import of chlorine-washed hen from the US.
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Asserting the brand new physique, Worldwide Commerce Secretary Liz Truss stated she shared the need of British farmers to not see their excessive welfare requirements undermined and to have the ability to compete pretty within the post-Brexit world.
She stated the brand new physique could be anticipated to feed into policy-making on particular person commerce agreements and ministers would take heed of its suggestions.
The fee, whose phrases of reference have but to be finalised, could be anticipated to replicate the pursuits of customers and producers in creating international locations in addition to the home farming sector.
“I’m inspired that the NFU helps the UK’s broad aims in selling free commerce and shares our perception that free commerce offers can open up important free commerce alternatives for the UK farming trade,” she stated.
The BBC’s political editor Laura Kuenssberg stated the transfer adopted a “seeming stand-off” between the commerce division and Defra over methods to uphold meals requirements after Brexit.
‘Concrete motion’
The NFU stated it had been calling for such a step for 18 months however it will be maintaining the strain on ministers to make sure the physique had actual enter.
“I’m very happy that the federal government is taking concrete motion to handle the challenges of safeguarding our excessive meals and farming requirements,” stated its president Minette Batters.
“Will probably be important that Parliament is ready to correctly think about the fee’s suggestions and might guarantee authorities implements them successfully.
“The NFU will proceed to scrutinise the progress of commerce negotiations with the USA and different international locations….in order that our future commerce offers work for British farmers and customers.”
Mr Freeman, a kind of to insurgent final month, tweeted that the physique will need to have a “clear remit” to make sure commerce offers labored within the nationwide curiosity.
Opposition events welcomed what they stated was a concession by ministers though the Lib Dems stated it remained to be seen whether or not the physique would have “actual enamel”.
“The announcement contained no particulars about how this new fee will function or how Parliament will be capable of correctly scrutinise any new commerce deal and the impact it should have on our world-class meals, animal welfare and environmental requirements,” its agriculture spokesman Tim Farron stated.