Danny Chambers: "We should not sell out British farmers for a handshake with a man who cannot be trusted"

I am a veterinary surgeon, and I grew up on a family farm, so I fully understand the high standards of care British farmers put into animal welfare, food quality, and environmental stewardship.

For many years, I have been raising concerns that a trade deal with the USA could undermine our high animal welfare and farming standards, and undercut our hard-working farmers.

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This would be bad for animal welfare, bad for the environment, and bad for British agriculture. 

Trump trade deal

That is why I am deeply alarmed by the UK Government's willingness to compromise these hard-won standards in pursuit of a trade deal with Donald Trump.

Within months of his return to office, Trump has already shown what kind of a partner he would be: erratic, irrational, and utterly untrustworthy.

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He has already torn up trade deals with allies like Canada and Mexico, threw global markets into chaos with scattergun tariffs, and imposed a 10% tariff on UK exports despite the Government's pleas and evidence that UK-US trade is already balanced.

Animal welfare standards

Now, under pressure from Trump and his allies, we risk opening the floodgates to low-quality food imports - meat from animals raised with growth hormones, eggs from battery cages, and chlorine-washed chicken.

These are all practices banned in the UK for good reason.

They not only compromise animal welfare but risk public health and undermine decades of progress by British vets and farmers.

'Undercutting' British farmers

If ministers cave to Trump's demands, British farmers would be forced to compete with cheaper, lower-standard imports. Many could be driven out of business.

And the British public would unknowingly be eating food produced in ways they rightly abhor.

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Let's be clear: this is not just about trade — it is about our values. It is about maintaining some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, defending our food security, and upholding public trust.

This threat comes at a time when farmers are already under enormous strain.

Family farm tax

The Labour Government's sudden changes to agricultural policy, the introduction of a new family farm tax, and the war in Ukraine driving up fertiliser prices, have created uncertainty and added financial pressure on farming businesses.

Undermining our food standards now would be the final straw for too many family farms.

This is not protectionism - it is common sense.

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We cannot afford to erode our food standards or lose our world-leading record on antibiotic reduction and animal health — all for a deal that Trump could tear up at any moment.

Rather than bending over backwards for a man whose signature means less than one of his nonsensical tweets - we should not sell out British farmers for a handshake with a man who cannot be trusted.

It is not only farmers who are proud of our high animal welfare standards, but the British public are too, and we should not compromise them.

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