Farm groups call for 'core standards' on food imports at Westminster event

Farm leaders and animal welfare groups are urging MPs to introduce tougher protections on food imports, warning that British farmers risk being undercut by produce made to lower standards overseas.

The NFU, RSPCA and WWF will host a joint event in parliament on 18 March to press ministers to introduce a set of core production standards for agri-food imports entering the UK.

The organisations argue that imported food should be required to meet the same standards that British farmers and growers must follow.

Core standards would require imported food to meet equivalent rules on areas such as animal welfare, environmental protection and production practices.

Campaigners say the measure would prevent products produced under conditions that would be illegal in the UK from being sold on the domestic market.

Ahead of the 2024 general election, the NFU and WWF wrote to the three main political parties urging action to safeguard British farmers from imports produced to lower standards.

Less than a month after taking office, the government pledged to deliver “a new deal for farmers to boost Britain’s food security and drive rural economic growth”.

It also committed to “protect farmers from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals”.

The parliamentary reception will bring together farmers, growers and animal welfare organisations to press MPs and ministers to honour those commitments.

Campaign groups say the UK maintains some of the highest agricultural and food production standards in the world, including strict animal welfare rules and environmental protections that domestic farmers must meet.

However, they argue that imported food is not always required to follow the same rules.

The issue has become increasingly prominent in recent trade negotiations, with farming organisations warning that products produced to lower standards could enter the UK market and undercut domestic producers.

Supporters of the proposal point to strong public backing for protecting UK food standards.

More than one million people signed a petition in 2020 calling for domestic food production standards to be safeguarded in future trade deals.

The UK imports roughly 40% of the food it consumes, increasing the importance of ensuring imported products meet equivalent standards.

Campaign groups argue that introducing statutory core production standards would ensure that food sold in the UK — whether produced domestically or imported — meets comparable minimum requirements.

Under the proposal, goods that fail to meet baseline standards for animal welfare and environmental protection equivalent to those required of UK farmers would not be allowed onto the UK market.

NFU President Tom Bradshaw will attend the event alongside representatives from WWF and the RSPCA to outline the case for stronger protections.

Campaigners say introducing core standards for agri-food imports would help protect British farmers from being undercut while strengthening the resilience and long-term food security of the UK.