British pig farmers are seeking “urgent clarity” from ministers over whether the UK-US trade deal will uphold UK animal welfare standards.
In a letter to trade minister Douglas Alexander, the National Pig Association says a failure to recognise the difference in regimes between the two countries would be a “betrayal” of UK farmers.
It comes as the National Farmers Union warned the Government against giving US agriculture that doesn’t meet UK standards, access to the British market in return for a cut in tariffs on cars and steel.
A deal between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump could be signed as early as this week, reports have suggested, with carve-outs from tariffs on British steel and carmaking.
But sticking points remain over food standards and pharmaceutical companies. Starmer’s government has insisted that blocking American chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef is a red line that will not be crossed in order to secure a deal.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House in February (Photo: Carl Court/Pool via REUTERS)Yet the NPA has raised concerns over the way pigs are farmed in the US.
In his letter, NPA chairman Rob Mutimer welcomed the assurances over chicken and beef but added: “We feel this leaves a significant gap in terms of the methods of production that are acceptable in the US, particularly on animal welfare, compared to the UK.
“To give just one example, sow stalls are still used across the USA. Not only has their use been banned in the UK since 1999 but the British pig industry has also significantly reduced its antibiotic use by 69 per cent since 2015, with an ongoing commitment to reduce this further.
“Both of these measures make the UK’s cost of production substantially more expensive than that in the USA.
“As part of the deal currently being negotiated with the USA, and as part of any increased access for American agricultural products, we strongly urge the government to ensure that this difference in animal welfare standards and methods of production is recognised.
“Allowing goods into the UK produced to standards that would not be legal for our producers, would represent a betrayal to British farmers.”
Mutimer has requested a meeting with Alexander to discuss the issue.
square KITTY DONALDSON
The India trade deal is yet another own goal for Starmer
Read MoreThe NFU has insisted that ministers must uphold their commitments on food safety and animal welfare, but farmers also warned the Government against giving the US favourable terms when it came to agriculture produce in return for a cut in tariffs.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: “It’s equally vital to understand that whilst protecting UK food safety standards is essential, that can’t be top cover for a deal which gives US agriculture the access to UK markets it has sought for decades without giving UK farmers and growers reciprocal access back.
“A deal in which we open our markets to US produce in return for nothing more than the reduction or removal of tariffs which didn’t exist eight weeks ago would be an unimaginable failure and is not a deal in anything but name,” he added.
A Cabinet source said the NFU had no reason to be concerned about such an issue, ensuring the Government would not “sell British farmers down the river”.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: “We will only ever sign trade agreements which aligns with the UK’s national interests, and we will not lower our high food standards, including on animal welfare.”
Badenoch in row with India over trade deal
The warning came as Kemi Badenoch was embroiled in a row with the Indian government after officials accused her of talking “rubbish” over the UK India trade deal signed with the UK.
The Conservative leader attacked Sir Keir Starmer for agreeing to a free trade deal with New Delhi that will see Indian employees working in Britain being exempt from paying national insurance contributions for three years.
The detail in the trade agreement prompted Badenoch on Tuesday to brand the arrangement as “two-tier taxes, from two-tier Keir”.
But according to the Financial Times, Indian officials insisted Badenoch agreed to the principle of carving out national insurance contributions for Indian employees when she was leading negotiations with New Delhi during her time as trade secretary under the previous Tory administration.
One official told the paper: “It’s amazing. It was on the table when she was trade secretary.”
But Badenoch refuted the claims, branding the suggestion that she was signed up to giving India any national insurance exemption as “fake news”.
Writing on X/Twitter, she added: “This is total and utter rubbish. I never agreed to any such tax deal. The evidence couldn’t be clearer — I refused to sign the deal.
“As I have always said – No Deal is Better Than a Bad Deal.”
Her attacks against the deal have also been contradicted by several senior Tories, who have praised the Government for forging closer trading ties with India.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory former Brexit Secretary, added on X/Twitter: “Cheaper food and drink including rice and tea, footwear and clothing thanks to a welcome trade deal with India. Exactly what Brexit promised.”
Sir Keir Starmer dismissed opposition criticism of tax exemptions in the UK-India trade deal as “incoherent nonsense” as he insisted the agreement was a “huge win” for Britons.
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