Calls for a level playing field for farmers on food import standards

In a letter addressed to the new Secretary of State for International Trade ahead of the Conservative Party Conference, the group which includes Sustain, Greener UK, NFU, RSPCA and the Tenant Farmers Association said

"The recent lifting of tariffs and quotas without any equivalence on animal welfare or environmental standards for Australian producers means that UK farmers will now compete with imported food produced to standards that would be illegal in the UK, exacerbating concerns that the deal exports our carbon footprint, increasing transport emissions and the risk of deforestation overseas."

Calling for a set of core standards to be put in place, the letter argues that that approach is supported by "major UK retailers, the first Trade and Agriculture Commission, the Climate Change Committee, the National Food Strategy, and the International Trade, Environment Food and Rural Affairs and International Agreements Committees".

The letter was covered in an article by the Financial Times, which you can read here. You can read the letter in full here