Oral Answers to Questions

Robbie Moore Excerpts

Thursday 19th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Môn) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to maintain food and farming standards in future trade agreements.

[Robbie Moore (Keighley) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to maintain food and farming standards in future trade agreements.

[Mrs Flick Drummond (Meon Valley) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to maintain food and farming standards in future trade agreements.

--- Later in debate ---

[Greg Hands]

My hon. Friend is a strong and passionate voice for Ynys Môn farmers, and the feedback has been extremely positive. Putting the Trade and Agriculture Commission on a statutory footing has been welcomed by NFU Cymru. Indeed, its president, John Davies, said that this

“is a milestone moment and one that should be welcomed by all those who care about our food, environment and high standards of production.”

[Robbie Moore]

Latest figures show that the UK’s agrifood sector is now worth £122 billion to the UK’s economy, and there is plenty of room for growth. As we set out into the world as an independent global trading nation, will my right hon. Friend confirm that, even though we have the weight of the Trade and Agriculture Commission in place, UK agriculture will be at the forefront of his mind as we go forward in future trade negotiations?

[Greg Hands]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right, and—crucially—we would never want UK agriculture to be sidelined from our trade agenda. We need and have UK agriculture fully on board, to take advantage of selling our fantastic British food and drink produce to foreign markets. Already, for the first time in many years, we are selling beef to the US, pork to Taiwan, and we have secured better agrifood protection in our recent UK-Japan trade deal.