MP makes fresh calls for British food and farming standards to be put into law

In Parliament this week, local MP Tim Farron called on ministers to enshrine Britain's high-quality food, environmental and animal welfare standards into law.

Speaking during yesterday's debate on the Internal Market Bill, Tim said: "The fact that the British Government continue to refuse to write into legislation minimum standards - particularly on animal welfare and environmental standards - leaves our farmers open to being undercut by cheap imports from other countries; people talk in particular about the United States, but there are other deals as well.

"That is hugely damaging to our proud record of high-quality animal welfare and environmental standards and ethics in this country.

"Alongside that, the Government's decision in 20 days or so to start removing a vast chunk of farm incomes in England through the basic payment scheme undermines family farming in this country to the extent that it will reduce our capacity to feed ourselves and fundamentally change the landscape of places such as the Lake District.

"That is wrong, and we need to ensure that those standards - our proud, high British agricultural standards - are written into statute."