The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s Scrutiny of the Agriculture Bill report calls on the Government to ensure imported food products are held to current British standards as part of any future trade deal.

• Read the conclusions and recommendations
• Read the full report: Scrutiny of the Agriculture Bill

The inquiry was launched alongside the Agriculture Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons in September 2018 and examines the provisions that will be needed in the agricultural industry following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. Due to the inquiry running parallel to the Bill, the Committee focused on three key areas of the Bill, including future trade deals.

The Committee is now calling on the Government to ‘put its money where its mouth is’ and accept its amendment to the Agriculture Bill regarding trade.

The amendment stipulates that food products imported as part of any future trade deal should meet or exceed British standards relating to production, animal welfare and the environment. The other two key areas prioritised by this Report are the transition from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to a new system based on public money for public goods and fairness in the supply chain The Committee recommended that there should be a multiannual financial framework to provide a long-term commitment to agriculture. Click here to read more and download the report.