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Trade Standards Commission QSD on 25 February 2020 Library Briefing Trade Standards Commission QSD on 25 February 2020 On 25 February 2020, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) is due to ask Her Majesty’s Government “what steps they are taking to establish a trade standards commission in advance of negotiating trade deals”. Summary • The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has been campaigning for the Government to set up a ‘trade and standards commission’ to “ensure the UK’s future trade policy does not undermine British farming’s high environmental and animal welfare standards”. • Michael Gove, the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said in February 2019 that he welcomed the NFU’s call to establish a commission. • Minette Batters, the NFU President, has urged Theresa Villiers, who succeeded Mr Gove as secretary of state, to follow up on his commitment to the proposed trade and standards commission. • The NFU and more than 60 other farming, environmental, animal welfare and public health organisations wrote to the Prime Minister at the end of January 2020, calling for formal processes to allow Government and stakeholders to engage on the issue of trade and standards. The letter suggested the Agriculture Bill, which is currently before the House of Commons, provided a good opportunity to enshrine some key standards in law. • There are fears that future trade deals could open UK markets to agri-food products produced to lower standards in other countries. For example, the question of whether a trade deal with the US would allow chlorinated chicken, produced to lower animal welfare standards, to be imported into the UK has received a great deal of attention. • The Conservative manifesto for the 2019 general election said that British farmers and fishermen should be “able to profit by producing food and fish that are the envy of the world—both for their high quality and the standards to which they were produced”. It said Brexit created the opportunity for Britain to “lead the world in the quality of our food, agriculture and land management”. The manifesto promised that “in all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards”. • In a recent statement setting out the UK’s priorities for future trade deals, Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, made the same promise about maintaining high standards in these areas. Nicola Newson ǀ 11 February 2020 ____________________________________________________________________________ A full list of Lords Library briefings is available on the research briefings page on the internet. The Library publishes briefings for all major items of business debated in the House of Lords. The Library also publishes briefings on the House of Lords itself and other subjects that may be of interest to Members. Library briefings are compiled for the benefit of Members of the House of Lords and their personal staff, to provide impartial, authoritative, politically balanced briefing on subjects likely to be of interest to Members of the Lords. Authors are available to discuss the contents of the briefings with the Members and their staff but cannot advise members of the general public. Any comments on Library briefings should be sent to the Head of Research Services, House of Lords Library, London SW1A 0PW or emailed to [email protected]. 2 Further Information • House of Commons Library, Brexit: Trade Issues for Food and Agriculture, 5 November 2019, pp 34–45 Extracts from briefing discussing how future regulatory standards and animal welfare standards on live exports could affect the availability, price and quality of food. • National Farmers’ Union, ‘NFU Calls for Trade and Standards Commission to Uphold Food Values Post-Brexit’, 2 September 2019 Article detailing the NFU’s concerns about future trade deals and its call for a trade and standards commission to be established. • National Farmers’ Union, ‘Letter to Prime Minister: NFU Leads Charge on Trade and Standards Asks Ahead of Brexit’, 27 January 2020 Letter from NFU and dozens of farming, environmental, animal welfare and public health organisations calling for standards to be enshrined in the Agriculture Bill. • House of Commons, ‘Written Statement: Free Trade Agreements with the Rest of the World’, 6 February 2020, HCWS96 Written statement from Liz Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade, setting out the Government’s priorities for future trade deals with non-EU countries, including a commitment to high standards on the environment, animal welfare and food. • Department for International Trade, Processes for Making Free Trade Agreements after the United Kingdom Has Left the European Union, February 2019, CP 63 Paper setting out proposals for parliamentary scrutiny of, and public consultation on, future free trade agreements (published under Theresa May’s Government). • UK Government, ‘Strategic Trade Advisory Group’, accessed 7 February 2020 Details of the Government’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group—a forum for high-level discussions between the Government and stakeholders on UK trade policy matters. Parliamentary Question • Oral Question on ‘Imported Agricultural Goods’, HC Hansard, 6 February 2020, cols 438–40 3 Press Articles and Comment • Abi Kay, ‘Villiers Backtracks on Gove’s Promise to Set Up Commission to Protect Food Standards’, Farmers Guardian (£), 5 December 2019 • Emma Gatten, ‘British Farming Can Be ‘Envy of the World’ After Brexit, Leading Agriculture Figures Tell Prime Minister’, Telegraph (£), 26 January 2020 • Adam Payne, ‘British Farmers Fear Boris Johnson Will Surrender UK Food Standards to Trump in Talks with ‘Fearsome’ US Negotiators’, Business Insider, 6 February 2020 .
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