Labour MPs urge the government to prioritize animal welfare in ongoing EU trade negotiations, warning against concessions that undermine key standards. The UK plans to abandon a 2024 election pledge to prohibit foie gras imports following EU demands in trade talks.
MPs Highlight Animal Cruelty Concerns
Navendu Mishra, Labour MP for Stockport, emphasizes the need for import rules to match domestic welfare standards. He states: “Foie gras production relies on force-feeding practices that cause significant animal suffering – it is only right that our import rules reflect the standards of animal welfare we uphold at home. In my view, the Government should ensure that any trade arrangements do not come at the expense of animal welfare.”
Foie gras involves force-feeding ducks and geese grain via a tube inserted into the bird’s throat, a method called gavage. This enlarges the liver dramatically before harvest. While EU states cannot ban each other’s products on welfare grounds, the UK gained such authority post-Brexit but has yet to act fully. A new trade agreement, set for finalization this autumn, requires fresh exemptions from EU rules.
Government Weighs Trade Benefits Against Welfare
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds indicates that bans on fur and foie gras imports may fall to advance the deal. She notes: “The prize is big. We can talk about the detail, but the overall prize here is to bring down the barriers at the border, and the friction and the cost and the administrative burden that the previous Tory government’s botched Brexit deal has left us with. We know that there are many small businesses that gave up exporting altogether to the European Union, and many big businesses just face terrible delays, or just uncertainty.”
Former minister Kerry McCarthy advocates maintaining the stance. She argues: “The last Labour Government decided more than 20 years ago, quite rightly, that foie gras production was inherently cruel and should be banned in the UK. Most consumers, once they’re aware of the cruelty involved, agree, and want to see an end to the loophole that allows inhumane imports into the country. I hope the Government will stand firm and secure this in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) trade negotiations.”
Official Response on Welfare Standards
A government spokesperson reaffirms the UK’s leading animal welfare position, where force-feeding for foie gras has been illegal for two decades. The spokesperson adds: “Conversations on our new food and drink deal are ongoing, but we have been clear on the importance of retaining high animal welfare standards as part of any deal.”
