Latest news with #BritishFarmers
Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Starmer's EU deal ‘risks undercutting farmers'
Sir Keir Starmer's EU deal risks undercutting British farmers, rural groups have warned. The UK has secured a veterinary agreement with the bloc in a Swiss-style deal that removes border checks and red tape on agri-food, making it easier to trade with EU countries. Farming groups have cautiously welcomed measures to make it easier to export goods across the border, but warned that it could lead to a flooding of the markets of EU imports. Concerns have also been raised about accepting dynamic alignment on plant and animal health laws, which means growers will be subject to European Court of Justice decisions. Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at Countryside Alliance, warned this could mean 'lower quality' EU imports could crowd out British farmers. 'There are of course benefits to selling more of our fantastic produce abroad and we should seize those opportunities with gusto,' he said. 'But we should avoid a situation where cheaper and lower quality imports flood our markets, undercutting our own farmers and hampering our ability to promote the importance of buying local, seasonal, Great British produce'. The Prime Minister claimed at the UK-EU summit on Monday that the deal will result in 'lower food prices at the checkout' as a result of making trade easier. Last month, Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, rejected calls to launch a 'Buy British' campaign in response to Donald Trump 's trade war, telling MPs she did not want an 'inward-looking' approach. She added it was up to consumers to decide what to purchase at supermarkets. It comes after a series of unpopular decisions by Labour that affect the farming industry, in particular the scrapping of agricultural property relief (APR). The inheritance tax reform introduced by the Chancellor means agricultural assets worth more than £1 million, which were previously exempt, will be liable to the 20 per cent tax. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, told the farming minister on Tuesday at the Future Countryside conference 'the last 10 months have led to a challenging environment' for the sector. Daniel Zeichner said: 'I appreciate how painful and difficult that has been. 'I can probably share with you that it hasn't been the easiest time for me either, because that wasn't the way in which I wanted our relationship to start in Government. 'But again, I have to say that Treasury colleagues were faced with a range of very, very difficult choices in terms of economic inheritance.' The measure has prompted accusations that Labour does not understand rural communities, a sentiment that had doubled among voters in the six months since the general election. The deal announced on Monday was welcomed by some farming groups, who have long pushed for a relaxing of red tape when trading with the EU. The Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement agreed by the Government is expected to shorten waiting times for trucks carrying fresh produce across the border. Some routine checks on plant and animal products will be removed and British burgers and sausages will once more be allowed into the EU. Ian Rickman, president of the Farmers' Union of Wales, said the new agreement should 'open the door to ensuring that both food imports and exports are subject to similar controls which provides a level playing field between UK and EU producers'. But he added: 'Whilst at face value our plant and animal health requirements align with EU standards, we must consider how this may place the UK in a challenging position in future as it no longer has the power, as a formal Member State, to influence European rules and will have to accept the EU's Court of Justice's jurisdiction on the way they are applied.'
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
M&S, Ocado and Waitrose are latest supermarkets to back British beef
M&S, Ocado and Waitrose are the latest supermarkets to say they will not sell American beef in a major boost for British farmers. The well-heeled grocers told the Mail they will stick with British meat and have no plans to start stocking any beef imported from the US. They join Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and the Co-op in saying they will not compromise on their commitment to British farmers and animal welfare standards. The pledge comes as UK and US negotiators thrash out the details of last week's outline agreement on trade. The proposed deal will see the US cut tariffs on British cars from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent and slash the levy on steel and aluminium to zero. It would also allow up to 13,000 tons of US beef to be imported into Britain tariff-free. That has sparked fears that the UK could be flooded with meat from the US. And although the Government has insisted imports of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal, there are fears food standards could be watered down in a bid to appease Donald Trump. But supermarkets this week distanced themselves from the US. M&S, Waitrose and Ocado yesterday said all beef, milk, pork, salmon, chicken, fresh lamb and eggs will continue to be 100 per cent British. Alex Freudmann, managing director of food at M&S, said: 'We are committed to supporting a vibrant and sustainable British farming sector. 'We partner with our 9,500 UK Select farmers and growers, which means we work side-by-side and speak to them every day to uphold the highest standards in the industry and bring delicious, quality British food to our customers.' Jake Pickering, head of agriculture at Waitrose, said its products were sourced 'from British farmers to high welfare standards'. He added: 'We want to reassure Waitrose customers that we will never compromise on our number one animal welfare standards or our long-standing commitment to British farming. We're standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our farmers and backing better standards.' A spokesman for Ocado added that they will 'continue sourcing from British farmers and prioritise bringing their brilliant produce to our customers'. Tesco boss Ken Murphy this week insisted Britain's largest supermarket was 'not planning to change' its policy of sourcing 100 per cent Irish and British beef. Murphy also told attendees at the World Retail Congress this week that British farming is 'under unprecedented strain'.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Aldi pledges to keep sourcing meat from British farms after US trade deal
Aldi has pledged to continue sourcing all of its core fresh beef, pork and poultry from British farms and maintain its existing food standards amid ongoing UK-US trade talks. Giles Hurley, Aldi UK and Ireland's chief executive, said the supermarket will not drop food safety and welfare standards even if current regulations are watered down to secure international agreements. Agriculture has been a key part of the preliminary trade deal struck between the UK and US last week, which sees tariffs reduced on US products including beef in return for moves that help British cars and steel. UK ministers have insisted there will be no downgrade in British food standards, which have been a significant barrier to entry for US-reared meat, including hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken. But concerns remain that the US will push the UK to accept American products with lower standards and weaken British standards to ensure closer regulatory alignment as trade talks continue. Mr Hurley said: 'British farming is known for its high welfare, food safety and environmental standards and we know how important that is to our customers. 'That's why 100% of our everyday fresh beef, pork and poultry is sourced from British farms, and why we're guaranteeing that we won't lower our standards even if others do. 'This isn't just about food safety. It's about protecting British farmers and doing the right thing for our customers.' Aldi's policies include sourcing 100% of its core fresh beef, pork, poultry, milk and eggs from British farms, which are Red Tractor-approved. It comes after Tesco's chief executive Ken Murphy said the supermarket would not source beef from the US, saying it would stick to its current policy of sourcing 100% Irish and British beef. On a visit to London this week, US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told reporters she would like to see the UK and US more aligned on food standards regulations to help remove trade barriers and open up the market to more products. The US official met with Government ministers to promote more American agricultural products, including pork, poultry, seafood, rice and specialty crops.
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Politics latest: 'James Bond has nothing to worry about,' says Trump after striking tariffs deal with PM
What has Britain got out of US deal? Amid the drama of a televised phone call between the US president and British prime minister, it can be hard to keep up with the details of a newly announced trade agreement. Here's what we know the UK has got out of this deal: Car tariffs Donald Trump had imposed a blanket 25% tariff on all car imports into America, which would have hit the UK badly. The deal means this is now 10% for British cars - though for now, it's just the first 100,000 that are exported. Steel and aluminium This was another blanket 25% tariff, and this is perhaps where the government has got its biggest win. For UK exports, the tariff has been completely removed. Food and agriculture Beef exports are to be allowed in both directions for the first time - but British officials insist there will be no weakening of standards. British farmers get a tariff-free quota of 13,000 metric tonnes. There's no mandate for the UK to start taking American meat, and the government says it won't be taking any chlorinated chicken. A tariff on ethanol coming into the UK from the US, used to make beer, also gets scrapped. Pharmaceuticals This one's purely speculative for now, as Trump's still not sure what he's doing here. If he does end up imposing tariffs on these products, the UK will get "preferential treatment". Tech firms There have been reports that the Trump administration wasn't happy with Britain's regulations on social media companies, suggesting they impinged upon free speech. But there's no movement here, either. The elephant in the room? Trump's 10% blanket tariffs on all imports remains in place for the UK, though with both leaders suggesting the deal will expand in future, perhaps this could eventually be reduced too. For now, this deal is no doubt a big boost for the UK's manufacturing industries - but the overall tariff situation does still of course remain far worse than it was before Trump returned to the White House.
Sky News
08-05-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Politics latest: PM and Trump strike deal to slash tariffs - and UK will accept American beef
What has Britain got out of US deal? Amid the drama of a televised phone call between the US president and British prime minister, it can be hard to keep up with the details of a newly announced trade agreement. Here's what we know the UK has got out of this deal: Car tariffs Donald Trump had imposed a blanket 25% tariff on all car imports into America, which would have hit the UK badly. The deal means this is now 10% for British cars - though for now, it's just the first 100,000 that are exported. Steel and aluminium This was another blanket 25% tariff, and this is perhaps where the government has got its biggest win. For UK exports, the tariff has been completely removed. Food and agriculture Beef exports are to be allowed in both directions for the first time - but British officials insist there will be no weakening of standards. British farmers get a tariff-free quota of 13,000 metric tonnes. There's no mandate for the UK to start taking American meat, and the government says it won't be taking any chlorinated chicken. A tariff on ethanol coming into the UK from the US, used to make beer, also gets scrapped. Pharmaceuticals This one's purely speculative for now, as Trump's still not sure what he's doing here. If he does end up imposing tariffs on these products, the UK will get "preferential treatment". Tech firms There have been reports that the Trump administration wasn't happy with Britain's regulations on social media companies, suggesting they impinged upon free speech. But there's no movement here, either. The elephant in the room? Trump's 10% blanket tariffs on all imports remains in place for the UK, though with both leaders suggesting the deal will expand in future, perhaps this could eventually be reduced too. For now, this deal is no doubt a big boost for the UK's manufacturing industries - but the overall tariff situation does still of course remain far worse than it was before Trump returned to the White House.
