US imports a ‘dangerous mistake’

Speaking on Wednesday when the House of Lords began a debate on the Agriculture Bill, Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick said that bowing to American pressure to allow the sale of sub-standard food would infuriate consumers and “undermine the very fibre” of our farming industry.

She said speculation that government ministers will allow these products into British supermarkets has grown in the last few days and Downing Street is now refusing to endorse its own earlier pledge to reject such a deal.

Giving the US food industry permission to sell low quality, low price chicken and beef into the UK would infuriate shoppers and our own farmers, Baroness Ritchie added. However, suspicions are growing that in their desperation to forge a trade deal with America in the wake of Britain’s exit from the EU, ministers are starting to buckle under pressure from US trade negotiators.

Reacting to the government’s hardline approach, Baroness Ritchie commented: “I make no secret of the fact that I wanted to stay in the European Union. It provides a strong funding support mechanism for farmers and underpins an adherence to sound food standards.

“But I am a realist, and I do recognise that we are leaving the EU. In this context, it is vitally important that the best possible deal is achieved for our food system.”

She added that a trade deal with the US involving the importation of sub-standard food would be completely unacceptable. “We need to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all our communities is protected, particularly as we continue to suffer the effects of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

“Government must ensure that future trade deals always contain provisions to ensure agricultural imports meet our environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards.

“To fail to do so would undermine both these values and our own producers.”

Baroness Ritchie added her backing to the call by the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the National Farmers’ Union for a Trade and Standards Commission to be set up to review policy and make recommendations.

“Such a commission could provide a roadmap for the government to meet its commitment to protect the UK’s high standards of production in future trade policy.”

Speaking during Wednesday’s debate, Lord Kilclooney said that as a result of Brexit, this is the first real United Kingdom agricultural policy for about 50 years.

He added: “There are three fundamental questions which still need to be answered—in fairness, the Minister answered one of them, but I want further clarity on the issue. First, will Her Majesty’s Government’s support for the agricultural industry in the United Kingdom continue at the same level as exists from the common agricultural policy at present? Secondly, will the quality and standards of agriculture and food in the United Kingdom decline after we leave the common agricultural policy? Thirdly, will there be provision for the import of cheaper foods, creating unfair competition for our own home producers here in the United Kingdom?

“This is a comprehensive Bill that will require much detailed examination in Committee, but there are a number of issues in relation to Northern Ireland that I wish to mention. Agriculture is the main employer in Northern Ireland, employing one in eight people. Rural towns and communities depend on the success of our 25,000 farm enterprises, but beef production income has fallen by £36 million in the past year alone. Income from milk has also fallen. Many farmers are now finding it difficult to stay in business,” he added.

“Farm structure in Northern Ireland is very different from that in England, hence it is important that agriculture is a devolved matter. For example, farms in Northern Ireland are much smaller than in England. Intensively farmed poultry and pigs are a major product. Near where I live, we have Moy Park, employing 4,000 people dealing with poultry alone.

“There are three issues that I wish to mention to the Minister today. One relates to the Northern Ireland protocol, in which I am sure he is well conversant; namely, can the Government give an assurance that there will no checks or tariffs on Northern Ireland agricultural exports into Great Britain, as 50% of our exports are into the British market? It is very important that that is maintained, so I hope that there will be no checks or tariffs. Secondly, can the Government confirm that they do not want lower standards of food safety than in the European Union, as Northern Ireland has to retain the EU’s standards under the protocol? Such lower standards would result in reduced costs of production and make it more difficult for Northern Ireland agricultural producers to compete in the GB market.

“Finally, on Article 10.2 of the EU Northern Ireland protocol, will UK support for Northern Ireland agriculture be unquestioned, or will the exemption from the EU state aid rules become null and void if the joint committee fails to reach an agreement? Does this in practice mean a continuing EU veto over UK support for Northern Ireland agriculture?”

Meanwhile, Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown said during the debate that ‘a future trade policy that undermines our farmers will mean that a common goal of a more prosperous, sustainable and nature-friendly food and farming sector will be made much harder to achieve, and our nation’s already declining food self-sufficiency and security will continue to be eroded.’

He added: “The UK will also have missed an opportunity to set out its stall as being serious about tackling its global footprint and being at the forefront of sustainable production and climate-friendly farming across the world.

“If UK farming is to face a future as a vital strategic sector, producing the food that we eat and meeting the challenges of climate change, food and security and the high expectations of the UK public in the way that we treat our farm animals and wildlife, the Bill must not undermine that very goal by allowing in food imports that fail to meet its high ideals. As in Northern Ireland, farmers and growers across the United Kingdom are very proud of their high standards of production.

“It is important that UK farmers are not in any way unfairly disadvantaged through the imposition of high costs, direct or indirect, that are not shared by overseas competitors exporting food to the United Kingdom. It is therefore imperative that the Agriculture Bill is amended to ensure that agri-food imports are produced to environmental animal welfare and food safety standards that are at least equivalent to those required of producers in the United Kingdom, which are so highly valued by the British public.

“The British Government stated that they had no intention of allowing the UK’s high standards of production to be undermined after the UK left the European Union, but that will be the outcome of allowing the import of food produced at a lower standard. UK consumers will be left hostage to food on the market that will be unsafe and our UK farming industry seriously undermined. If the Government fail to amend the Bill accordingly, I believe they will be failing not only our food-producing industry but the UK consumer,” he concluded.

The Bill will now go before the whole House.