The government should formally commit to upholding animal welfare
and environmental standards in all post-Brexit trade deals, says
the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in
a report on the free trade agreement with Australia.
The report
The report quotes an adviser to the government, Henry Dimbleby,
as saying that a failure to adopt a ‘core standards’ approach to
animal welfare and the environment, while negotiating free trade
agreements, poses a danger of “exporting cruelty and carbon
emissions abroad”.
The committee’s report acknowledges that the Australia free trade
deal does not prevent core standards being adopted in the future
and that it is unlikely that much food that doesn’t meet these
standards will enter the country because of this deal.
However, it also argued that committing to such standards - on
matters such as deforestation and the use of hormone growth
chemicals in meat – ahead of negotiations would strengthen the
hand of UK negotiators. It would also, the report said, reassure
UK producers about the government’s commitment to high
environmental and animal welfare standards.
The government estimates that the Australia free trade agreement
– which removes tariffs on a wide range of imports from
Australia, including beef and sheep meat, sugar and wine - will
boost the UK economy by £2.3bn (or 0.08%) by 2035, but that some
sectors including farming will lose out.
The report calls on the government to aid the UK farming and food
sector in making up the £278m loss the government itself
estimates the sector will experience as a result of the free
trade agreement, by allocating additional support for exports.
UK cattle and sheep farmers have been among those most concerned
about the deal. Witnesses told the committee they feared that
factors such as the cheaper costs of production on Australia’s
much larger farms, as well as lower animal welfare standards in
Australia, would allow Australian exporters to undercut them in
UK shops.
The committee heard from some witnesses that there is unlikely to
be a significant, immediate impact on UK cattle and sheep
farmers. This is because Australia has more profitable markets
closer to home and anyway does not send all the meat it could to
the UK under current trade arrangements.
However, the report noted that after 15 years there will be no
limit on imports. The committee said the government must monitor
the impact on the sector closely over time - and develop plans to
intervene should this be necessary.
The Committee also concluded that it appears unlikely food
produced to lower standards, in areas like animal welfare, will
enter the UK. However, given this, the committee said it was
disappointing that the deal did not include more far-reaching
provisions on animal welfare, which would have shown greater
international leadership by the UK in this area.
The report also said the government should pay more attention to
the voices of UK farmers and food producers when negotiating
trade deals, taking care to consult their expertise before
arrangements became a fait accompli. This
should include, the committee said, making sure the government’s
independent trade advisory bodies, including the agri-food Trade
Advisory Group, are brought in from the outset so the Government
can take advantage of sector knowledge while negotiating deals.
Chair's comment
The Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee,
Sir MP, said:
“While we heard from some witnesses that it appears unlikely this
deal will have a significant immediate impact on UK farmers, the
government needs to carefully monitor the situation and learn
lessons for future trade deals.
“The government must commit to helping the food and farming
sector win back the £278m worth of lost growth it will experience
because of this deal. There’s a plan to appoint new trade envoys
to push our exports. We
welcome that, but we also need to see the Government commit to -
and deliver on – the £278m target for additional exports to
ensure the sector is no worse off. If that requires other export
promotion strategies, then they must be implemented. We will be
watching the numbers and holding the government to account.
“Secondly, we want our high UK animal welfare and environmental
standards baked into every trade deal we do from now on. The
Government has done well protecting our rules on beef hormone
growth chemicals, but having ‘core standards’ in all deals would
strengthen our hand when negotiating with other countries. Some
nations will no doubt want to challenge these rules – and similar
bans on things like chlorine-washed chicken – so it’s vital to
have our high standards in there right from the start.
"It’s all part of the
government needing to listen more carefully to our farmers and
food producers. They have the expertise to help us get better
deals all round – let's use it.”
