Defra secretary George Eustice has won his battle with international trade secretary Liz Truss over protecting farmers from imports produced to lower standards than in the UK. As so often the case, the devil is in the detail.
An agriculture and trade commission will be set up to consider policies the Government should adopt in free trade deals to ensure UK farmers do not face unfair competition which would undermine high animal welfare and production standards.
Although the commission will be only advisory, it will report to Parliament. Going against its recommendations would be awkward for the Government. However, there remains a strong imperative to get a trade deal with the US and this will not be possible without concessions on agricultural trade. President Trump is particularly reliant on votes from farm states.
It will be interesting to see who the chair. I would expect the membership to include a working farmer with NFU connections and one of the few academics with expertise in international agricultural trade.
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