Written by John Swire
Dairy farmers were told by Farming Minister Victoria Prentis the future farming policy will deliver a better deal for them going forward.
Speaking at RABDF’s Virtual Business and Policy Conference this week, Ms Prentis said the Common Agriculture Policy had been a comfort blanket for farmers in this country, with the largest farms receiving about 50% of the money.
She said: “Any future farming policy will be a better deal for farmers. There has been a lot of press about trade standards, but most of the Agriculture Bill is about setting up a structure to pay farmers with public money for public goods.”
She also assured delegates she was committed to making sure standards were not lowered in any future trade agreements.
She added: “We are making a Government amendment this afternoon, which will put more parliamentary scrutiny on the trade piece.
“We are committed to making sure standards are not lowered in any future trade agreements including through regulations, which will mean we will not be having any chlorine-washed chicken. We have reached a compromise where most parties are now happy,” she said.
Ms Prentis said there would be a lot more focus on labelling. She added: “We will be launching a consultation into labelling and robust labelling at the end of this year.
“We import almost 45% of our food at the moment and some of what we import is not at the same level of where we are. However, they do meet our safety standards. What is clear though, is people do care about what they eat.”
The final Business and Policy Conference session will take place on Friday 6 November at 10.30 and will debate the issues, challenges and opportunities for today’s dairy producers. To register go to https://www.rabdf.co.uk/business-policy-conference
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