Amending the Agriculture Bill- impacts future trade deals?

With the government looking to the future beyond COVID and Brexit, there has been debates over possible amendments to the Agriculture Bill relating to the food production in the UK.

Source: Wix

On 12th October 2020 a vote will take place on whether to amend the current Agriculture Bill in order to ensure future food imports comply with the standards set by the UK. The House of Lords suggested the amendments to the Bill so that any further food imports coming into the country would now meet both the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and UK domestic standards on food safety, animal welfare and the environment. However, this act has seen a lot of backlash with inevitable results suggesting it could prevent future trade deals or even negotiations taking place. This would especially target developing countries, due to the requirement of having effectively the identical level of food standards which they may be unable to meet due to their environments and other factors.

The amendments put forward arose as the government is racing to secure post-Brexit trade deals with countries including the United States. George Eustice, environment secretary, speaking at the Conservative conference fringe event stated “we are unlikely to be accepting amendments to the bill”. Nonetheless this will be seen after the voting has taken place for the matter. The Chartered Institution of Environmental Health has encouraged the government to keep the import standards to those of the UK due to a fear that it otherwise could allow an opportunity for the likes of hormone-fed beef and chlorinated chicken to be brought into the UK and as a result sold to the British public.

The government is set to defy this campaign, which has seen backing from the Labour party as well as over 1 million members of the public including the Chef Jamie Oliver.

In June 2020, The National Farmers’ Union had placed a public petition for purposes of urging the government “to put into law rules that prevent food being imported to the UK which is produced in ways that would be illegal here” and received 1 million signatures.

Although there has been the argument that America food standards are actively at a lower tier to the UK, the Global Food Security Index which is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, currently rates the US above the UK for quality as well as safety of food.

The decision made following the possible amendments will be an important factor to the public, UK farmers and towards any trade deals within the food industry which will take place in the near future.