Lords deliver blow to Boris's American Trade Deal !!!

Didn't they do well ??? - The Lords have dealt a blow to the American Trade deal by insisting that our 'national' food standards will not be diluted to appease the American exporters.


Government defeated in Lords over post-Brexit food standards
Amendment means products imported under future trade deals must meet domestic standards

The government has been heavily defeated in the Lords over a cross-party move to guarantee high food standards post-Brexit.

Peers backed by a majority of 95 a change to the Agriculture Bill aimed at blocking the import of foodstuffs produced abroad at lower animal welfare standards.

Voting was 307 to 212 for an amendment requiring food products imported under future trade deals to meet or exceed domestic standards, to prevent UK farmers being undermined.

It was the second defeat for ministers in Tuesday's report stage debate on the legislation, as the Lords earlier backed a move demanding a ban on the use of pesticides near homes and public buildings or spaces, such as schools and hospitals.

For the opposition, Lord Grantchester warned: "Low-quality food cannot be allowed to jeopardise rural communities by undercutting UK farmers with products using methods that would be illegal here."
Consumers did not want chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef to be imported from the US, he said.

It was vital to signal to existing and future trade partners that the UK was committed to championing high quality standards in food, Lord Grantchester added.

Independent crossbencher Lord Krebs, a former chairman of the Food Standards Agency, said there were "uncertainties" over assurances given by ministers on the issue.

It was only by supporting the Labour-led move that peers could be sure the Government was "bound to its commitment not to import food of lower standards than our own domestic products", Lord Krebs said.

Baroness Boycott, a crossbench peer, said chlorinated chicken was the "tip of the iceberg" of "bad food" which could come into the country.

"Low-quality food is unhealthy food," she said. "It's usually meant deforestation in its production and terrible treatment of animals."

Green Party peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb said the amendment was essential to protect British farming against "vile" American animal welfare standards.

But Tory peer Baroness Noakes said: "The government's policy is clear. They are committed to higher food and welfare standards.

"We do not need to write into law what the Government is committed to."
Conservative former Cabinet minister Lord Lilley urged the House to think twice "before going back more than a century to introduce protectionism, to flouting international law and to doing something whose sole purpose is to raise the cost of food".

Environment minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble said the government would not compromise on its manifesto commitment to the UK's high food standards in trade agreements.

He said none of the 20 continuity agreements signed to date had undermined domestic standards.

The government was dedicated to improving animal welfare standards and had robust processes in place to protect them.

Existing legislation retained standards to maintain the same "high level of protections for both domestic and imported products," he said.

This included a ban on the import of hormone-treated beef, and poultry washed in anything other than potable water, Lord Gardiner said.

The reverses for the government follow two defeats last week on the Bill, which introduces a new support system for farmers as the UK quits the EU-wide Common Agricultural Policy post-Brexit.

 

Scumbag 'nasty party' Government overturns the House of Lords amendments to the Food standards Bill which will ultimately lead to the dilution of our food standards and allow the Americans access to our markets with their own appalling food standards.


Government overturns measures aiming to guarantee UK food standards in new law

PA
Oct 12th 2020 4:53PM

MPs have overturned measures aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals, despite a Tory backlash in the Commons.

They voted 332 votes to 279, majority 53, to disagree with a House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which would have required agricultural and food imports to meet domestic standards.

Peers had made the change to block the import of foodstuffs produced abroad with lower animal welfare standards, amid warnings over chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef entering the UK market from the US.

Several Conservative MPs also outlined their support for the amendment as the Bill returned before the Commons for further debate.
But it was stripped from the Bill following a vote on Monday.

The Government argued that existing protections are already in place and they have no intention of watering them down.

Speaking as Lords’ amendments to the Bill were considered, senior Tory Neil Parish said the legislation was heading in the right direction but the UK should be a “great beacon” on animal welfare and the environment when negotiating future trade deals.

The chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee said: “We have in our manifesto the commitment to both animal welfare and the environment.

“Would it not be right for the Secretary of State for International Trade to have the armour of having the backing of Parliament to say ‘I can’t negotiate away that particular part of the deal with you because it is written down in law’?”

Conservative Richard Fuller (North East Bedfordshire), intervening, expressed “frustration” over ministers suggesting the food standards protections need to be put in other legislation.

Mr Parish added: “We, the British, believe in animal welfare, we believe in the environment… so does this Government, but for goodness sake getting the backing of Parliament.”


Environment minister Victoria Prentis (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament)
For the Government, environment minister Victoria Prentis said the Government will not change the law of the land on import standards “under any circumstances”.

She told the Commons: “The fearmongering must stop tonight. We are not going to be importing chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-treated beef. That is the law of this land.

“This Government is not going to change it under any circumstances and we have said very clearly that in all our trade negotiations, we will not compromise our high environmental protection, animal welfare or food standards.

“We have a range of tools to protect us, we have the existing regulation, we have parliamentary scrutiny which I detailed earlier, including the select committee which I for one think is significant.”

Ahead of the debate, a tractor demonstration took place in central London as farmers demanded food standards are upheld in post-Brexit trade deals.