Food Production Standards 2020-09-10
2020-09-10
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Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The Secretary of State's party promised not to compromise on food standards in trade deals, but the Government have refused to support Labour amendments putting this into law.
If over 70% of people do not want us selling food imported from countries with lower food standards and more than 1 million people have signed a National Farmers Union petition for British food standards to be put into law, why are the Government refusing to comply?
In retained EU law, we have indeed put in place the existing prohibitions on the sale of, for instance, poultry washed with chlorine and beef treated with hormones. We have legal prohibitions and our own legal bans on certain practices. Those remain in place and will not change.
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Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The Board of Trade includes Tony Abbott who is negotiating agricultural trade deals with Australia potentially risking British farmers' livelihoods.
Will the Secretary of State support an amendment in the House of Lords to put the Trade and Agriculture Commission on firmer footing?
Tony Abbott is one of a number of people on the Board of Trade. Their role is to champion British exports overseas. They do not decide Government policy or the Government's negotiating mandate; those negotiations are led by the Secretary of State for International Trade. We have set up a food and agriculture and trade standards commission that has been done and it is already meeting. It does not need to be placed on a statutory footing.
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Q3
Direct Answer
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Nancy Pelosi has said there will be no trade deal with the US if the UK reneges on treaties signed up to, while the Government have dumped food standards from the Agriculture Bill.
What options is the Secretary of State looking at to restore protections for imports and will guarantees on food standards be written into law?
There are a number of ways in which we secure standards on food imports. One is through the prohibitions on sale, as I have already mentioned, which include things such as poultry washed with chlorine or hormones in beef. There is the sanitary and phytosanitary chapter that exists in every trade deal that sets out our requirements for food safety and food standards of food coming in. Finally, of course, we use tariff policy to take account of certain practices in other countries.
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Q4
Direct Answer
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Context
The Government have dumped food standards from the Agriculture Bill, leading to concerns about liability and potential compensation.
Has advice been sought or given regarding liability of the UK Government for damages arising from failure to uphold current standards?
There will be no need for compensation as this Government will protect and uphold our food standards.
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