UK government accused of neglecting welfare and carbon commitments in new trade deals
Frozen Bone-In Beef
Meat
United Kingdom
Published Mar 15, 2023
Tridge summary
Farming groups have criticised the government over plans to sign trade agreements with Canada and Mexico that will lead to low-welfare imports of beef and pork undercutting British producers.
Original content
Further imports of meat from North America could also compromise the UK’s carbon targets, especially following recent trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, farming groups have said. Nick Allen, CEO of the British Meat Processors Association, raised concerns over the lack of binding stipulations on aspects such as animal welfare and environmental impact in free trade agreements. “The UK has higher welfare standards than most of the countries we import from, which is a challenge for our local producers. If new trade deals follow the same formula as the recent ones with Australia and New Zealand, this will only exacerbate the problem and put the UK at a further disadvantage,” he told Farmers Guide. “It’s up to the Government negotiators to include binding stipulations on things like animal welfare, however nothing was written into the two recent free trade agreements. This has strengthened the case for countries like Canada to demand similar access to our market.” Regarding ...
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