RSPCA Response to rejection of import amendment in Agriculture Bill (Clause 1)

RSPCA’s Head of Public Affairs David Bowles, said:  “We are deeply concerned at the rejection of an amendment to the Agricultural Bill which would have banned imports made to lower welfare standards being allowed into the UK.

“This decision gives a clear green light to those that want to open up our market to imports such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef, and gives no comfort to UK farmers.

“The recent news of the US administration’s objectives for a trade deal with Britain after Brexit was very concerning for animal welfare. We have repeatedly said that Brexit offers the opportunity for the UK to be a world leader in animal welfare, producing a gold standard in how farm animals are treated.

“The UK currently bans practices such as washing chicken in chlorine and bans products from  hormone-treated beef or cruel farming practices such as the conventional battery egg cage or pig sow stalls. Unless we uphold these standards when we leave, we face a race to the bottom, where price, not quality, influences what ends up on our supermarket shelves.