Extract from International Trade Questions: Leaving the EU:
Interim Trade Tariffs
Mr (West Bromwich West) (Lab/Co-op): The
National Farmers Union is profoundly concerned that it has only
two weeks to prepare for the new tariff regime, particularly in
view of the fact that cereals and egg producers will have no
protection whatever. What discussions has the Minister had with
the appropriate Ministers in other Departments to ensure support
and compensation for those farmers?
The Minister for Trade Policy (George
Hollingbery): Of course, the farming community is
protected by a commitment to the payments they were expecting
through to 2020. As the hon. Gentleman will know and would
expect, we consulted widely with colleagues across Government, so
this is a collectively agreed decision. We have placed tariffs on
quite a large number of vulnerable agricultural products, and we
hope that the mix is the right decision not just for producers,
but for consumers.
I remind the House that, for people in the bottom 10 percentage
points of income in this country, food is a very real cost every
single day; some 20% of their weekly income is spent on food. If
we allowed inflation to roar away on products of this sort,
people at that end of the income scale would find it very hard to
feed themselves, and we believe that we have to mitigate that
situation for them, as well for farmers’ incomes.
Extract from Lords
motion to approve the Food and Feed (Chernobyl and Fukushima
Restrictions) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
(LD):...One
of the enduring reservations in the responses to the
consultation, especially by the National Farmers’ Union, was
about the lack of clarity on the relationship that the Food
Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland will have with the
European Food Safety Authority. A common approach is necessary to
harmonise trade and maintain continuity, but the UK Government
have given no convincing assurances yet as to how the EU and the
UK will work together on this. The feasibility of a complementary
EU-UK framework is doubtful, as third-country participation is
possible only if the third country applies all EU-related
legislation. It also relies on good will on both sides and, given
how much we have messed the EU about recently, it could be
forgiven for being somewhat less than co-operative...
...Neither has the UK framework yet been set up for
harmonisation across our devolved authorities—although I
understand that the FSA and FSS are working on proposals. This is
deeply unhelpful for business as exit day draws closer. Can the
Minister say what arrangements are in place now? The NFU has also
noted the impact on the FSA and FSS workforces, and, although the
chair of the FSA reassured the EU Environment and Energy
Committee about its readiness, the chair of the committee, my
noble friend , warned that,
“the UK Government has no idea whether we will have full access
to EU risk assessments, or any access to their surveillance and
information sharing mechanisms. This is deeply concerning”...
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