Latest news with #BritishFarming
Times
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
From chicken to potatoes, Britain's never grown less of its own food
Last month, a campaign group called Save British Farming organised a small protest in Westminster featuring vintage tractors and banners that declared: 'Ration books are coming.' The idea that Britain could run out of food and need rationing seems alarmist, and more appropriate, perhaps, for VE Day. But some experts say Britain's food system is starting to look precarious and the days when you could walk into a supermarket and expect to find pretty much any fruit, vegetable, meat or dairy item on any day of the year will soon be at an end. 'The party's over — that's gone. We're in a new era now,' said Tim Lang, professor emeritus of food policy at City, University of London and the man who coined
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Waitrose rules out buying American beef and chicken as supermarket vows to 'stand with British farmers' following US trade deal
Waitrose has ruled out buying American beef and chicken amid fears the country could be flooded with foreign meat following Starmer's US trade deal. The supermarket giant made the commitment to 'stand with British farmers' after Sir Keir agreed to cut tariffs on US beef imports. Pete Navarro, Donald Trump's trade counsellor, last week branded European food standards a 'phoney tool used to suppress what is very fine American agricultural product'. The comments come despite fears there will be a watering down of food safety standards to allow products such as hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken into British stores - though the UK Government insists this will not be the case. British and US officials agreed to a deal that gives American farmers a quota to import 13,000 tonnes of beef that meets UK welfare standards. But supermarket bosses have expressed hesitation, pledging to maintain commitments to source products like beef from British cattle. Jake Pickering, head of agriculture at Waitrose, said today: '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. 'All of our own-brand fresh beef, lamb, chicken, pork, eggs and fresh milk are sourced from British farmers to high welfare standards – and we have raised the bar for customers with the Better Chicken Commitment and introduction of our new welfare labelling. Sir Keir addressing staff at a Jaguar Land Rover car manufacturing plant in the West Midlands following the confirmation of his trade deal with US President Donald Trump The UK Government has been clear that controversial hormone-treated beef, linked to issues like early puberty in children and cancers, won't be included in the deal Waitrose has ruled out buying American beef and chicken amid fears the country could be flooded with the foreign meat following Starmer's US trade deal 'We're standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our farmers and backing better standards.' Tesco has also vowed not to source beef from the US, maintaining its policy of sourcing 100 per cent of the product from the UK and Ireland. Chief executive Ken Murphy said: 'We're not planning to change it.' Aldi and Co-op also gave their thoughts - saying respectively they would continue to source their 'core' range of meat from British farms, and remain committed to sourcing 100 per cent British fresh and frozen meat. As it stands, thousands of tonnes of American beef is on its way to the UK, with the agreement set to see enough meat shipped to serve one medium steak to every adult in the country - 13,000 tonnes in total. The UK Government has insisted controversial hormone-treated beef—common in US supermarkets—won't be part of the deal. These cattle are injected with growth hormones to speed up muscle growth and reduce the time to slaughter, making production faster and cheaper. But the practice has been linked to concerns such as early puberty in children and increased cancer risk in consumers. Brooke Rollins said she would like to see the UK and US more aligned on food standards regulations, during a visit to London following the new trade agreement between the two countries (file image) US secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins said the new trade deal 'is going to exponentially increase our beef exports' to the UK However, Sir Keir insisted there will be no weakening of UK food standards on imports, meaning US-style chlorinated chickens will remain illegal in the UK Hormone-grown beef has been banned in the UK since 1989 after the EU declared it unsafe. Similarly, chicken 'cleaned' with chlorine, another of the Government's 'red line' products, will remain prohibited. However, experts have warned that border checks designed to catch beef-sellers trying to sneak such meat into the country may not be strong enough. About 80 per cent of all beef produced in the US comes from animals fed growth boosting hormones, according to the United States Cattlemen's Association. These hormones result in more meat per animal and an overall more profitable enterprise for the producer. But Brooke Rollins, Donald Trump's agricultural secretary, has insisted American meat is safe and good enough to be sold in Britain today. She added she would like to see the UK and US more aligned on food standards regulations, during a visit to London following the new trade agreement between the two countries. Ms Rollins said she was 'proud' of US producers and suggested the US market is starting to move away from hormone-treated beef. The new US-UK trade deal helps overturn or reduce many of the tariffs Mr Trump unleashed on so-called 'Liberation Day' on April 2, 2025 UK ministers said there will be no downgrade in British food standards, which have been a significant barrier to entry for US-reared meat, and have insisted imports of hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken would remain illegal (file image) 'We have decades of research that show that the beef produced in America whether it is hormone or hormone-free is entirely safe and we believe it is one of the crown jewels of our American agricultural industry,' she said. She added that only 5 per cent of US chicken is treated with chlorine. 'I think that is a narrative in your country that perhaps we have not done a good enough job pushing back on, so I think that's an important myth to dispel,' she continued. Agriculture is a key part of the deal, announced by Mr Starmer and Mr Trump last week, which sees tariffs reduced on US products including beef and ethanol in return for moves that help British cars and steel. As the first country to sign a deal of this sort with the US, Sir Keir called it a 'fantastic, historic' day, as he joined the Oval Office news conference via phone. However, the Tories have accused him of 'shafting Britain' and allowing the UK to be steamrolled by Trump's team. The results of the deal are likely to be far-reaching, saving jobs in the beleaguered car and steel industries but offering US farmers far greater access to UK markets on meat and ethanol. Despite the health concerns, the new reciprocal market access on beef is being presented as a win-win for both countries, with UK farmers being given a quota for 13,000 metric tonnes. US secretary of agriculture Brooke Rollins said at the Oval Office press conference that this deal 'is going to exponentially increase our beef exports'.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Supermarkets pledge to keep sourcing meat from British farms after US trade deal
Aldi and the Co-op have pledged to continue sourcing meat from British farms amid ongoing UK-US trade talks. Giles Hurley, Aldi UK and Ireland's chief executive, said on Thursday that the supermarket will not drop food safety and welfare standards even if current regulations are watered down to secure international agreements. Meanwhile, the Co-op confirmed it remains committed to sourcing 100% British fresh and frozen meat. It comes after Tesco's chief executive Ken Murphy said the supermarket would not source beef from the US earlier this week, but would instead stick to its current policy of sourcing all meat from the UK and Ireland. 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 or 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. Matt Hood, Co-op's managing director, said: 'We're a long-term supporter of British farming, and was the first and, at the time, only national UK grocer to switch to 100% British fresh and frozen own brand protein including when used as ingredient in all our products, a commitment we proudly continue to stand by today. 'Farmers are the absolute backbone of the UK's food supply, so supporting UK agriculture is more important than ever for us, our member owners and customers.' 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.
