Oral Answers to Questions

Cat Smith Excerpts

Thursday 8th October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) (Con)]

What assessment she has made of the potential effect on farmers and food producers of the free trade agreement with Japan.

[Cat Smith (Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)]

What steps she is taking to maintain the UK’s (a) food and (b) animal welfare standards in future free trade agreements.

[Rob Roberts (Delyn) (Con)]

What assessment she has made of the potential effect on farmers and food producers of the free trade agreement with Japan.

--- Later in debate ---

[Elizabeth Truss]

I hugely enjoyed my visit to Grange Hill farm with my hon. Friend. Our deal means that British beef going into Japan will have lower tariffs. We also announced last week that the first beef for 24 years was shipped from Britain to the United States. In the United States trade deal, we will seek to remove the 26% tariff on British beef so that we can get even more of that great product into that market.

[Cat Smith]

I have been contacted by many constituents who are concerned about the animal welfare standards in a US-UK trade deal. They ask me why the state of California can ban imports of products that do not meet its animal welfare standards but the UK Government are not willing to do the same.

[Elizabeth Truss]

We are absolutely clear that we are going to stand up for our high standards in any deal we strike, including with the United States, and make sure that the high standards our farmers operate to will not be undermined.