F22: Back British Farmers

Motion passed by conference

Proposed by: 10 members

Mover: Tim Farron MP (Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

Summation: Helen Morgan MP.

Conference affirms the importance of free trade, as a tool for cooperation, for building closer ties with other countries, and for creating shared prosperity, but that such trade must be fair as well as free.

Conference notes that in October 2021 the UK Government agreed in principle a trade deal with New Zealand, and in December 2021 the UK Government finalised a trade deal with Australia.

Conference believes that both deals sell UK farmers and consumers down the river, allowing food produced with lower animal welfare and environmental standards to be sold in British supermarkets, for little economic benefit.

Conference is particularly concerned by the significant impact of the trade deals on the farming sector due to the prospect of imported food produced to lower standards of animal welfare and environmental protection, and notes that:

1. Australian farming methods include growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides that are banned in the UK, as well as cruel animal welfare practises including mutilating the rear end of sheep to avoid the concentration of flies, and washing chicken with chlorine.
2. The Government’s own impact assessment highlights the “adjustment costs” facing the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors of close to £100 million, and states the “potential for the deal to result in lower output from some agricultural sectors”.
3. Voices have been raised across the sector as to the detrimental impact of both trade deals, including by the NFU which warned of an “un-level playing field”.
4. These changes come at a time when farmers are facing considerable financial uncertainty due to the Government’s poor handling of the transition to the Environmental Land Management Scheme, with many farmers facing reductions in their income now despite the new scheme not being ready until 2028.

Conference is further concerned by the failure of the Australia trade deal to reference explicitly the commitment to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees as set out in the Paris Agreement.

Conference notes with concern that the potential economic benefits of such deals for the UK are small, with the Australia trade deal forecast to increase the size of the UK economy by just 0.08% over a 13-year period (a figure which is most likely an exaggeration of the potential impact).

Conference is highly concerned by the precedent that these agreements, which are the first post-Brexit deal negotiated from scratch, might set for future trade deals, particularly in regards to the agricultural sector given the access to the UK market which the Conservative Government has allowed.

Conference therefore calls upon the UK Government to:

1. Reopen the terms of the Australia trade deal, to:
   1. Prevent low-quality, low-cost Australian agricultural products from undercutting British standards and the UK’s agricultural industry.
   2. Insert explicit language on climate change commitments including references to our obligations to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees.
2. Delay the final agreement of the New Zealand trade deal, until concerns about the undermining of the UK’s animal welfare practice have been resolved.
3. Publish official impact assessments on the effect of the Australia and New Zealand deal on the agricultural sector, and commit to doing so for future trade deals.
4. Introduce legislation to ensure that future trade deals and imported food does not undermine the UK’s animal welfare and environmental standards.
5. Improve the ability of Parliament to scrutinise trade deals, including by giving Parliament a meaningful vote on any deals and future negotiating mandates.
6. End the phase-out of current farm payments until the new ELMs scheme is fully ready.

Applicability: Federal; except D. (lines 26–30) and 6. (lines 63–64), which are England only.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes.

For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 9. To submit a speaker’s card, complete this form.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00, Monday 28 February; see page 12. Amendments selected for debate will be published in the Conference Extra and Saturday Conference Daily updates to the Conference Agenda.

The deadline for requests for separate votes is 11.00 Friday 11 March; see page 9.

The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendment to the motion:

Delete 2. (lines 51–53) and insert:

2. Reopen the terms of the New Zealand trade deal to prevent the
undermining of the UK’s animal welfare practices.