Tim Gelfs, Dorset NFY chair, questions whether Dynamic Alignment and the animal welfare bill will protect or sell out British farming
Our current leaders are heading the country, as fast as it can go, towards Dynamic Alignment* with our European friends. Is it really going to be the light at the end of the tunnel for economic growth? Probably not … it’s more likely to be Ursula von der Leyen holding the book of (more) rules and autocracy. Since leaving the EU, we have headed off in our own direction. Although the majority of policies are still aligned with the EU, there are now – as you would expect – some significant differences. In agriculture, particularly in the arable sector, there are some major differences that could be a problem if the government rolls over without defending our position.
On gene editing, sprays and seed treatments I believe we are now ahead of our European neighbours, and ‘alignment’ would be a backward step. Rather, Europe should be looking to embrace some of our policies. Unfortunately, we seem to be so desperate to rush this through that a lot of advances in this country could be stalled or left behind. In fact the government’s ambition to have this in place by the middle of 2027 will lead to real problems. We have crops in the ground now that would not meet the market standards, leaving our arable sector at a very unfair disadvantage.
We wouldn’t sell it ourselves
Talking of disadvantages … just before Christmas the government released its consultation on the animal welfare bill. This is an enormous bill, with many changes that will affect our industry, and if it goes through will put us at a massive disadvantage within our market place.
Yet again we seem to want to gold-plate everything we do … and then sell into the majority bronze market! We cannot continue raising our own production standards while simultaneously allowing imports of food that would be illegal to produce here. Worse still, consumers are rarely given a choice – much of this lower-standard produce disappears into catering and large-scale manufacturing. Not only does this practice undermine the integrity of our high standards, it also risks tarnishing the reputation of British farming by association.
Take Ukrainian eggs: around 12,000 tonnes have been imported in the past year, mostly from birds kept in cages that were banned in the UK in 2012. Their safety standards are also lower – with a known higher risk of salmonella.
I know we have to support our European friends, but what if we had a salmonella outbreak from these eggs? It would be devastating for British egg confidence, and our own egg industry, even though we have the best safety record in the world.
I know the ban on trail hunting has dominated the headlines in recent weeks, but the bill includes many other measures. One proposal promotes the use of slow-growing chickens. While that might sound sensible on the surface, it would increase production costs and carbon footprints – and there appears to be little scientific evidence underpinning the recommendation.
The proposal to ban tail docking and castration in lambs will be another hot topic. Do they think we do it for fun? Just to give the night lamber a job in quiet times?
There is a lot in this bill that is good, but it is trying to include many proposals driven by groups with other agendas. We must push back and present our case as the opportunities allow.
The consultation on lamb castration and tail docking is online until the 9th March: I know, it will be the size of War and Peace, but we have to step up. So pour a large glass of something, accept it’s going to be a couple of hours of your life you won’t get back, and dive in. It might just be what keeps our voices at the table.
*Dynamic Alignment is the idea that parties to a trade agreement maintain equivalent regulatory standards to each other
