Tag: Standardization

The environment secretary, Michael Gove, is to pledge that British food standards will not be lowered “in pursuit of trade deals”. There have also been warnings that high tariffs on beef and lamb imposed after the UK’s departure could wipe out some farmers who rely on exports to the EU. Gove will tell farmers: “We have been clear that we will not lower our standards in pursuit of trade deals, and that we will use the tools we have at our disposal – tariffs, quotas and legislation – to make sure standards are protected and you are not left at a competitive disadvantage.” The government is to announce its proposals for tariffs in a no-deal scenario this month. Britain is discovering the difficult truth about trade deals | Phillip Inman Read more Minette Batters, the NFU president, who has been highly critical of Gove in the past, will use her speech at the conference to call for a high-level expert commission to be set up to make sure imported food meets the same standards as British produce after Brexit. I don’t want it written in blood. I want it written in ink. “The issue of maintaining our food standards is critical. Which is why I am asking for a high-level commission to be convened, bringing together government officials, industry representatives, civil society groups and experts in food and farming.” Batters has frequently expressed concern that the government does not take the consequences of Brexit to the agriculture and horticulture sector seriously enough. Last year she warned that exporters would in effect be locked out of the EU for up to six months if no deal was struck. “Warm words are nice but we need firm commitments and clear actions.”