Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Eustice and Seema Malhotra

Thursday 10th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Seema Malhotra (Feltham and Heston) (Lab/Co-op)]

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to protect British food production standards in trade deals.

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice)]

We have a manifesto commitment that, in all our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food standards. We have retained in law our existing standards of protection. We have laid before the House our negotiating objectives, stating that we will uphold those, and we most recently established the Trade and Agriculture Commission.

[Seema Malhotra]

Many of my constituents, including Nimmi Soni, have written to me with their concerns about the Government’s commitment to protecting food standards. The Secretary of State is right that his party’s manifesto promised not to compromise on food standards in trade deals, but twice—twice—the Government have refused to support Labour amendments to put that into law. If over 70% of people do not want us selling food imported from countries with lower food standards, and more than 1 million people have signed a National Farmers Union petition for British food standards to be put into law, why are the Government refusing to do what the public want and expect? The country has a right to know.