Here in the UK, trade negotiations have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks, as deals have been struck with India, the US and the EU.

The UK has banned a number of cruel farming practices, such as barren battery cages for hens, using antibiotics as growth promoters, and sow stalls for mother pigs – but practices like these are still legal elsewhere. The Government must ensure it isn’t outsourcing suffering overseas, undermining our own animal welfare standards. Put simply, if it’s too cruel to produce here, then it’s too cruel to import.

Ensuring welfare doesn’t fall through the net

Thanks to your support we’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get the UK Government to take note. From attending roundtables with the Trade Minister and responding to the Government’s call for evidence as part of the development of their Trade Strategy to launching a trade report in Parliament and meeting and writing to MPs and other policy makers.

Making a media splash

We have seen some fantastic coverage of our messages on trade deals and the impacts for farmed animal welfare in the media. We’ve been quoted on the topic in the Daily Express and BBC Online, and a Letter to Editor, penned by our wonderful patron Deborah Meaden was published in The Telegraph. In addition, our report – “Closing the Welfare Gap: Why the UK Must Apply Its Animal Protection Standards to Imports” – gained coverage in The Mirror and several trade publications including The Grocer.

Promising signs but risks remain

There are some promising signs. The UK trade deal with India won’t have tariff reductions on pork, chicken or egg imports to the UK. And when it comes to the US deal the UK Government has stated imports of hormone treated beef or chlorinated chicken won’t be allowed.

However, there are still areas of concern. The US deal allows the import of an extra 13,000 tons of beef, but we don't know what animal welfare standards the beef imported will have to meet, so we’ll be continuing to monitor this situation.

The UK-EU deal ties the UK more closely with the EU animal welfare standards. Although the EU has higher animal welfare standards when compared to the US, it still has lower standards in some areas – for example pigs can still be kept in sow stalls. In the agreement there is wording that would raise, in a timely fashion, the UK’s welfare standards to the EU’s where our standards are lower. We are engaging with the Government to ensure that the agreement maintains or enhances the UK animal welfare standards where they diverge from the EUs.

Supporting UK Farmers

Having the right deal in place is key to supporting UK farmers who have raised the animal welfare standards on their farms. Without deals in place that support those standards, farmers will be undercut by lower welfare products resulting in more animals suffering.

Keeping up the pressure

Anthony Field, Head of our UK Office said:

Thanks to you, our wonderful supporters , we are able to continue engaging with Parliamentarians and amplify our voice by campaigning with coalitions and working to secure more media coverage – thank you!

Find out more about our work on trade.

Turning up the pressure on trade