PM, Cabinet Minister and Leader of Opposition give import standard assurances at NFU Conference

The Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, International Trade Secretary and Defra Secretary all pledged to protect UK food and farming standards under future trade deals during today’s virtual NFU Conference.

Boris Johnson provided a short video message at the start of event, thanking farmers for ‘keeping the UK fed throughout the pandemic’.

He highlighted the how UK farmers were already ‘proudly selling more around the world’, including ‘British beef on American plates, pork trotters on Chinese tables and cheese on supermarket shelves across the Gulf’.

“I can assure you we are pulling out all the stops, while making clear that in all our trade negotiations, we won’t compromise on high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards,” he added.

Also during the conference: 

• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer set out why he wants to build a new relationship between the Labour Party and British farming and rural communities.
• International Trade Secretary Liz Truss announced a new ‘Open Doors’ export campaign for British food and drink, highlighting the opportunities for carcase balance in meat exports. 
• Defra Secretary George Eustice announced that hundreds of farmers around the country will pilot the Sustainable Farming Incentive from mid-2022. He also acknowledged the pig sector’s current problems, which he said were primarily due to export bans by China on pork plants affected by COVID-19. 

You can read a full round-up HERE.