Animal Welfare Standards Imports and Exports 2024-02-01
2024-02-01
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The UK has left the EU, leading to new controls on animal welfare and food imports. Concerns have arisen about potential risks from low-cost products imported from countries with lower welfare standards.
Whether he is taking steps to improve animal welfare standards applicable to food imports and exports. Yesterday, the UK Government implemented a border target operating model in which a veterinarian must provide a health certificate for meat imports from the EU. Meanwhile, the UK-Australia free trade agreement, likely to lead to increased imports of low-cost products produced with banned pesticides, poses risks due to lower welfare standards.
The hon. Gentleman is mixing up two issues. He mentioned Australia, and specifically eggs. If he actually looked at the agreement with Australia, he would see that eggs are excluded, as are pork and poultry. He is mixing that up with the issue of food standards for imports from Europe.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific risk posed by imported products from countries like Australia was not directly addressed.
Mixing Issues
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The UK-Australia free trade agreement has led to concerns about the import of low-cost products from Australia, which may have lower animal welfare standards compared to the UK.
Does the Secretary of State accept that this asymmetry on standards of animal welfare is incoherent and poses a significant risk of contaminating the food chain with banned pesticides?
The hon. Gentleman is mixing up two issues. He mentioned Australia, and specifically eggs. If he actually looked at the agreement with Australia, he would see that eggs are excluded, as are pork and poultry. He is mixing that up with the issue of food standards for imports from Europe.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific risk posed by imported products from countries like Australia was not directly addressed.
Mixing Issues
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
A constituent's entire shipment was seized in France due to a single word missing on the export health certificate, highlighting concerns about challenging such decisions.
This week, Ian Perks had his entire shipment seized in France because he missed out a single word on the export health certificate. Can we find arbitration methods to speed up the process of challenging these situations?
I know my hon. Friend champions very strongly the farming and food sector in his constituency, and that he has raised this issue with my right hon. Friend the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries, who is actively engaged on it.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about arbitration methods was not directly addressed.
Acknowledging Concern But Avoiding Specifics
Response accuracy