Farmers have warned that if environmental standards are tightened for British farmers, but food imported from countries with lower standards is imported, eco-friendly foods will become an expensive luxury.
Steve Barclay announced, at the Oxford Farming Conference, on Thursday that the government will consult on a labeling scheme that will identify food produced according to UK standards. This would allow consumers to select more environmentally friendly foods.
Barclay announced an increase in new environmental farming payments after Brexit, which is intended to encourage more farmers make environmentally-friendly decisions on their land.
Farmers and retailers are concerned that raising the environmental standards of the UK, while importing food from countries with lower standards, will result in British farmers being undercut, and forced out of business. High quality British foods may also become an expensive luxury.
Joe Stanley, farmer and chairperson of the Leicestershire National Farmers’ Union branch, commented on the labelling policy. “It would be easier to get excited about this if it came from a government that hadn’t made sourcing the cheapest environmentally damaging produce wherever it was found a guiding policy of trade policy in 2016. This undercuts UK farm standards.”
Since Brexit, the UK government has signed deals with Australia and Mexico. This has raised concerns that meat, such as beef and pork, produced under lower standards of animal welfare and environmental protection, will be imported to the UK.
Ged Futter is the author of a report that was launched during the conference. The report warns that cheap imports could put British farms in a difficult position. According to the report, “UK retailers believe that there are plenty of options out there. If they lose a UK farmer, they can simply replace it with an imported product.”
A collapse in the UK egg market meant Polish Eggs flooded the market. The report quotes growers who claim that the government did not support them in achieving environmental and net zero goals, which “tied their hands behind their backs so they couldn’t compete with countries producing cheaper food at lower standards.”
James Robinson, who is a dairy farmer in Cumbria, and the chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) in England, expressed frustration with the government’s approach.
He said: “It’s frustrating and disappointing, given that the government always makes promises and they never come true. Michael Gove said we wouldn’t undercut our farmers in trade deals. Then, our first deal did exactly that. This is no reason to lower our standards. No reason whatsoever. “Just because some products are cheaper and have lower standards, that doesn’t mean we need to lower ours.”
Robinson stated that farmers need “support from retailers, the entire supply chain and all stakeholders” to avoid being undercutted by imports of lower quality.
Lucinda Lanton, head of sustainability for Marks and Spencer said that she was worried about farmers undercutting each other and the company is taking steps to ensure that imported food products it sells are produced to standards similar to those in the UK.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of Wildlife Trusts said: “We shouldn’t be allowing the importation of foods produced at lower standards than UK environmental standards.” It’s incredibly disappointing that the government has not kept its promises over the past five years.
Barclay declined to comment on whether imports were undercutting farmers, but stated that the labelling was in response to feedback from the agricultural sector. I am currently conducting a rapid consultation. We can examine the risks and unintended effects of doing this, but my fundamental principle is to empower consumers.