NFU, WWF and RSPCA say the government must live up to its manifesto commitments
The NFU, WWF and RSCPA have come together to call on the government to deliver on its manifesto commitments and introduce core animal welfare and environmental standards for agri-food imports.
The groups noted that in its manifesto, the Labour Party made a commitment “to promote the highest standards when it comes to food production”.
Similarly in its Trade Strategy, it recognised concerns about the unfair competitive advantages provided by different methods of production in global supply chains.
The joint call comes as the organisations meet this week with MPs and peers in Parliament to discuss the impacts of UK trade deals and policies that allow food imports produced to standards that would be illegal for British farmers, which they say undercut domestic producers and offshore Britain’s environmental impacts.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “British farmers are leading the way on sustainability and animal welfare. The UK’s trade policy must reflect that progress, not undermine it.
”Yet currently, food imported into this country is not subject to minimum animal welfare or environmental production standards. This means currently food can be imported that would be illegal for our farmers to produce here.
“At a time when Defra is consulting on raising domestic animal welfare standards, it is only right that the government protects consumers from lower‑standard imports and ensures British farmers are not unfairly forced to compete with products that would be illegal to produce here.”
The NFU has asked the government to establish a working group, including external experts, to identify priority core standards and consider their feasibility for implementation and audit.
Angela Francis, director of policy solutions at the WWF, argued that UK trade policy is ”undermining the environment, farmers, and the high animal‑welfare and farming standards the public expects by not requiring food imports to meet the same environmental and welfare standards as UK farmers”.
“Climate-driven extreme weather is already causing price spikes and food shortages, yet our trade rules continue to reward farming practices that damage nature and undercut sustainable producers,” she said.
“We urgently need to ensure that the same rules that apply here also apply to food produced abroad so that the UK market safeguards the environment and backs farmers and producers, at home and overseas, who are leading the way on sustainability.”
And David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, said: “It is essential that the government puts core animal welfare standards into its policy thinking. While we support raising standards for laying hens and pigs in the animal welfare strategy, there is no point in doing this if we just outsource our standards to other countries.
“We need a vibrant farming industry producing to high animal welfare standards supported by core standards in trade deals.”
