The United Kingdom shouldn’t allow imports of food that fall short of the country’s own standards when it draws up trade agreements.
That thought comes directly from the head of the UK’s National Farmers Union.
NFU President Minette Batters says domestic production standards should be used as a benchmark in trade talks.
Business Times Dot Com says her comments signal that British farmers would face a setback if the government allows imports of products that are treated with certain chemicals or made using lesser animal-welfare rules.
After leaving the European Union last month, the UK is working on getting trade talks going with multiple nations that cover everything from food trade to data protection.
“It’s not just about chlorinated chicken,” Batters says in a statement. “This is about a wider principle. We must not tie the hands of British farmers to the highest rung of the standards ladder while waving through food imports which may not even reach the bottom rung.”
As it has in America, trade uncertainty is weighing down UK farm sentiment, with one-year confidence falling to its third-lowest point since 2010.
