Animal welfare campaigners, food policy experts and farmers have reacted with fury after the government watered down post-Brexit trade deal standards in its food strategy, released on Monday. In a version of the strategy leaked to the Guardian on Friday, the government committed to making it easier for countries to import goods if they have high animal welfare standards. The draft reads: “We will seek animal welfare-linked liberalisation in our [free trade agreements], allowing us to offer more generous liberalisation for products certified as meeting certain key animal welfare criteria specified in the agreement.” But the final version is stripped of this and merely commits to “considering” animal welfare and the environment when it comes to free trade agreements. Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton said: “This looks like yet another shamefully squandered opportunity to cement stringent animal welfare protection into our free trade agreements. “We need a full explanation from government as to why this element was removed, and on whose demands.” The government’s white paper, billed as the first such strategy in 75 years, rejected most of the food tsar Henry Dimbleby’s ambitious policies, which he outlined in a report released last year. Dimbleby made a number of high-profile suggestions, including a significant expansion to free school meals, greater environment and welfare standards in farming, and a 30% reduction in meat and dairy consumption. None of these have made it into the final strategy.
Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, said: “It’s notable that the approach to trade in the final strategy appears to be different to the approach outlined in the draft which was leaked to the Guardian on Friday. “Why has the strategy been watered down? Is this evidence of a rift in government, Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] trumped by DIT [the Department for International Trade]? Farmers will need more than positive rhetoric if they are to continue to raise welfare and environmental standards. Government should develop core trade standards as a matter of urgency.”
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International, said: “This smoke-and-mirrors approach to safeguarding animal welfare in imported products just won’t wash. Instead of adopting a rulebook of animal welfare core standards to govern trade, we are now waiting for a ‘statement’ on animal health that will ‘inform negotiations’. “This soft policy approach will make the UK a doormat in negotiations with major trading partners like the US, and in practice UK animal welfare trade barriers will be junked at the first sign of any objection.” Farmers have said they are disappointed with the watering-down of the trade section and that it puts English producers at a disadvantage. Patrick Holden, a dairy farmer and director of the Sustainable Food Trust, said the removal of the animal welfare commitment was indefensible, adding: “Unfortunately, I am not surprised to see that section was taken out. Farmers in this country are worried about being let down by lower standard imports – and they are not wrong. “Britain had such an opportunity to show leadership in that area – this was the opportunity missed, now we are signing these grubby trade deals, and it’s continuing to water down what was already a very dilute package on trade.” Defra has declined to comment.