26 May 2020
In an open letter to the UK’s upper chamber, presidents of the BCVA, Sheep Veterinary Society and Goat Veterinary Society call for help in getting British food safeguards.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Farm animal vets have joined forces and written an open letter to the House of Lords calling on the upper chamber to reject the Agriculture Bill.
The move follows defeat on an amendment to the bill in the House of Commons that many in the sector feel would have protected animal welfare and food standards for imports entering the UK as part of any future trade deals.
BCVA president Nikki Hopkins, Goat Veterinary Society president Nick Perkins and Sheep Veterinary Society president Nick Hart have called in particular on members of the Food, Poverty, Health and Environment Committee to lead the way in securing a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to uphold animal welfare, keep consumers safe and back British farming”.
Expressing disappointment at the recent rejection of Agriculture Bill amendments during the final debate in the House of Commons, the open letter called on members of the upper chamber to use their influence to scrutinise and reject the bill in its current form.
The letter said: “It is imperative that the UK maintains our high standards of production and guarantees that imports produced to a lower welfare standard never reach our supermarket shelves.
“The farming community is integral to the UK, and without its existence many rural communities would cease to exist and would not be recoverable.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has emphatically highlighted the importance of food security and how UK production can rise to meet the most demanding challenges.”
The letter continued: “British vets have worked alongside farmers, agricultural industry bodies, Government, and food assurance schemes to consistently improve the welfare and health of animals farmed for their produce in this country.
“The Agriculture Bill presents a prime opportunity to ensure the hard work and financial investment of the farming community is not in vain.”
The letter said the UK cannot allow food produced to standards that have been illegal for decades to freely enter the country.
The letter highlighted three issues of concern:
The letter included examples of how the sector, including veterinary bodies, has worked together on initiatives such as the Farm Assurance Scheme and on driving down antibiotic usage.
Summing up the letter, the trio stated: “We urge the house to use its influence to guarantee that UK food and welfare standards not only remain the highest, but also that the food we import is held to those same safety and welfare standards.
“This bill is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and must be amended during its passing through the upper chamber to ensure that we are all accountable for ensuring that food safety is the top priority.
“We are confident that you will share our ambitions to support British farming.”
The full letter will appear in a future issue of Vet Times, and can be read on the BCVA website.
