Tory Trade Secretary Set to Betray Scottish Farmers

Following reports that the International Trade Secretary may consent to watering down food standards to secure a trade deal with Australia, the SNP’s Stewart Stevenson has warned that the Tories “cannot be trusted to protect Scottish farmers’ interests in Brexit negotiations.”

Today’s Scottish Times reports that Liam Fox may bow to the Australian Government’s demands that cheap, low-quality hormone-treated beef can be sold in UK markets in any post-Brexit trade deal. The sale of hormone-treated beef has been banned in the European Union since 1981, amid concern about a potential cancer link.

Responding to the news, the National Farmers’ Union chief livestock adviser has said:

“We do not believe the British public would want our own farmers to be put at a competitive disadvantage by allowing the import of food produced to different standards and using methods which are not allowed in Britain.”

Commenting, Stewart Stevenson MSP, who sits on Holyrood’s Rural Committee, said:

“The hard line Brexiteers are now a clear threat to the producers of high quality Scotch beef, and their desperate scramble for trade deals is putting the future of Scotland’s rural economy on the line.

“The Tories have already sold out Scotland’s fishermen in Brexit negotiations - they must not be allowed to treat Scottish farmers with the same contempt by lowering food standards and allowing cheap, hormone-treated beef to flood the UK market after Brexit.

“While the SNP continues to stand up for Scottish farmers and the jobs they support - Liam Fox must immediately confirm whether Scotland’s prized farming industry will pay the price for a post-Brexit trade deal with Australia, as his Tory Government continues to pursue a disastrous Brexit ‘at all costs’ policy.”