MPs vote not to guarantee food import standards – a farmer’s response
Wow, that was disappointing. After queuing up to reassure farmers, the public, and environmental groups, that standards on UK food imports would not be dropped after Brexit, MPs voted the other way.
They voted down an amendment to the Agricultural Bill (328 to 277) which would have guaranteed – under law – that food imports meet the same standards as food produced in the UK.
Their vote will now allow imports produced under conditions of lower welfare, lower environmental protection, and using inputs and techniques outlawed in the UK.
Not a great day for British Agriculture or the British consumer.
Tom Martin, right
About Tom
After working in various jobs from magazines to film media, Tom returned to the family farm in May 2015 and has built up a popular social media presence – Farmer Tom – aiming to ‘show people what happens on the other side of the farm gate’. You can talk to Tom live with ‘FaceTime a Farmer’, which links farmers and schools for fortnightly Skype calls.
Thumbnail Photo by James Newcombe on Unsplash
