Poll: Do you trust the government to protect UK food standards?

Speaking at this week’s Oxford Farming Conference, Defra secretary Michael Gove reassured British farmers that they would not be undercut by cheaper food imports that were not produced to the same standards.

Farm minister George Eustice also suggested that UK standards of agriculture should not be relaxed in the interests of negotiating new trade deals after Brexit.

For example, Mr Eustice said it would be awful if the government struck a trade deal with the US that allowed hormone-treated beef imports into the UK.

See also: NFU outlines top 10 key amendments to Agriculture Bill

The NFU has called for an amendment to the Agriculture Bill which would guarantee that food imports are produced to the same high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection that British farmers adhere to.

But so far, there is no legislative guarantee in the Bill that UK farmers’ high standards will be protected post-Brexit trade deals.