International trade secretary Liam Fox has sought to reassure the agricultural sector that food standards won’t be lowered after Brexit.
Speaking at an AHDB export conference in central London, Fox stressed how important it is that the UK maintains high food safety and quality standards as it looks to boost its agricultural exports and expand into new markets.
Announcing that US Congress was now ready to begin work on a free trade agreement with the UK, Fox sought to reject recent reports in the press and on social media that the Department for International Trade was planning to lower food and farming standards when negotiating post-Brexit deals.
“One of the big debates has been around standards and I have to say it’s one of the most dishonest debates I’ve seen for a very long time,” he told delegates. “One of the key unique selling points in the UK is the high standards we have in our own country.
“When Barclays surveyed international consumers, 57 per cent of Chinese consumers, for example, said they would pay more for a product made in Britain because they assume that ‘Made in Britain’ means high quality.
“I’ve heard people say well we should be able to cut our standards and that would enable us to sell more overseas. I don’t believe that for a moment. I think people buy British because of our high standards and that is one of the things we must maintain as we go forward.”
He added that if the UK “surrenders” its position at the high-quality end of the market, it might “never recover it”.
Despite the trade secretary’s comments, many in the agricultural sector have been concerned by paststatements on the possibility of lowering food standards post-Brexit, in particular allowing chlorinated chicken to be sold in the UK.
Last year Fox was roundly criticised by the farming industry for saying he didn’t object to people eating chlorinated chicken, despite concerns the practice could degrade food safety standards.
Commenting on the government’s export strategy, which it published in the summer, Fox said business had asked for four things to be prioritised in the publication: to be informed more about opportunities in global export markets; to be told how they can better communicate with government when looking for opportunities to open markets; to share experiences and know-how with other exporters; and to receive more financial support to help them enter new markets.
On the final point, Fox said the government was making a “step change” in its funding arrangements for prospective exporters through the UK Export Finance government agency.
“In terms of SMEs’ access to UK Export Finance’s core finance, one of the biggest changes is that you no longer need to apply to the Department for International Trade for it,” he said. “The five big banks have delegated authority and access to our algorithms to be able to determine that themselves.
“Rather than taking six weeks to get a decision, banks should be able to tell any company that wants to export whether they would be eligible for export finance within a very short time and to complete a deal within six days.
“That’s the target we’ve set for them. That’s a step change in the agricultural exporting environment.”
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