At a Farming, Food & Climate Justice event held by The Landworkers Alliance, ex-Labour MP Nick Palmer discussed how new trade deals could affect environmental and animal welfare, with the contrast between the EU and the US being a significant focus of the conversation. `In the event of a no-deal Brexit, trade, imports and tariffs will be more aligned to those of the rest of the world, in particular the US, than to the rest of Europe. It is this change in imports which could cause the greatest change to our produce; cheap imports from America and Asia could see a lowering in quality, organic goods that could consequently undercut much of British agriculture. One major concern is the use of antibiotics in agriculture in the US, with usage being “three times higher in chickens, double that for pigs, and five times higher for turkey” than in the UK. Not only does this pose ethical and health concerns, but an increase in importing produce over opting for locally grown goods means an increase in carbon emissions linked with our food.
Another Brexit focused talk at the Farming, Food & Climate Justice workshop, held by Liz O’Neill of GM Freeze, discussed the implications Brexit will have on the UK’s approach to genetically modified crops and food imports. As it currently stands, EU rules require a case by case risk assessment for GM goods, despite this being seen as a non-tariff barrier to trade by much of the rest of the world. It was highlighted how, as a result of the EU’s tight rules on traceability and labelling of GM foods, much of our branded food has a different recipe to its American counterparts. For Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brexit offers the opportunity to “liberate the UK’s extraordinary bioscience sector from anti-genetic modification rules”. Whilst there are arguments both for and against GM pest-resistant crops, it is the removal of transparency which the EU currently enforces which could be the biggest cause for concern regarding future food imports, as labelling of GM ingredients will no longer be required by law.