There are a number of areas where the EU has lower animal welfare standards.
- Sow Stalls: The UK banned the use of sow stalls (cages for pregnant pigs) in 1999, 14 years before they were partially phased out in the EU . The EU still allows some use of these cages.
- Foie Gras Production: The production of foie gras by force-feeding is prohibited in the UK. The EU allows it.
- Fur Farming: Fur farming has been banned in the UK since 2000. The EU allows it.
- Live Exports: The UK has banned the export of live animals for slaughter or fattening from or through Great Britain. The transport and export of live animals is still legal within and from the EU, although some individual countries may have their own bans.
The UK should have high standards. It should not allow EU imports to undercut our farmers by relying on lower standards .The danger of the government’s new animal welfare proposals is it will stop some UK production to be replaced with imports from places where animals are treated worse.
December 23, 2025
This government will ban nothing from the EU however bad they treat us. The EU accepts equivalence in many areas with other countries with lower standards but not Britain. The EU still insists on giving us a punishment beating for leaving. Starmer is doing everything he can to tie us to Brussels and it is to be hoped that an incoming Reform government will repeal any such moves. The rejoining of the Erasmus scheme is a case in point.
December 23, 2025
Animal welfare is a tricky area. It’s somewhat subjective. Force feeding geese is probably cruel (i.e. causes animals excessive stress, and pain). But fur farming? We battery cage hens, which is deemed acceptable, yet is that much different in welfare terms from close confinement of furry mammals?
A major issue is slaughter (how, and where?). Is halal/kosher non-stunned killing ok? Should we drop EU regulations that ruined small local abattoirs (total abattoirs in UK dropped from about 1200 to 200, 1974-2024), and ended on-farm slaughter of red meat?
December 23, 2025
On principle I would agree to such a ban as long as we ban all other Countries food which also has lower standards than our own, thus we have a level playing field for everyone.
You do however realise that in doing so, much of our imported food may be banned, and thus prices will rise in our shops as a result.
Quality comes at a price !
December 23, 2025
Well said, Alan! I hear a lot about how Brexit has allowed us to ban this, that and the other which we couldn’t do before. In all cases that means simply that consumer choice in the UK is reduced and that consumer prices in the UK go up. That of course is the practical reality of Brexit – we have ‘freedom’ from the world’s biggest and best market and so our country is poorer as a result
December 23, 2025
Good morning.
Agreed. We should also regulate foreign fishing vessels for environmental harm. Any over fishing or damaging practices should result in fines or the seizure of their boats. And no compensation.
December 23, 2025
The quality of our animal husbandry was undercut when we joined the EU. Also the pointlessly cruel halal slaughtering techniques are massively expanded in the U.K. to satisfy those who are not native to the U.K. and its humane practises especially in farming. Halal and Kosher killing must be banned in the U.K.
Our framers don’t only invest more to maintain our high standards, they also don’t spare themselves.
I am content with British produced meat, I have been through many abattoirs and our experts treat our animals with care and there is almost no stress. That’s why the quality of our home grown meat is so high.
We can’t trust labels because we know that the State redefines words, and British meat might mean anything. Therefore we should indeed ban the import of all meat from jurisdictions where they don’t meet our high standards.
I want to know that the food I consume is maintaining our farms and our high standards.
December 23, 2025
No, we should lower our food animal welfare regulations to those in the E.U.and the U.S.A. which are themselves higher than those in the Third World (and most people are not concerned when they visit other countries). If individual people don’t like this they are entitled to become vegetarian or vegan (which I am not) but not to dictate to the rest of us.
December 23, 2025
Off topic but has been discussed on this site at length before.
I see it is reported on the BBC news, Business website this morning, that it has just come to light, that the Post office may have had a written contract and agreement in 2006 with Fujitsu, that Fujitsu would correct all errors and bugs in the Horizon Software, or pay the Post Office £150 per accounting error.
It reports that this agreement was in place BEFORE the first prosecution of any Postmaster.
The ramifications of this alleged statement if proven should be massive !.
Not a good look for Big Brother Government control of anything.
December 23, 2025
Food from low husbandry sources is but one burdon inflicted on our farming industry. A government whose thinking is generated around guardianista Islington diner tables has little affinity with anything outside the M25.
We have a high capitally invested farm industry predated upon by a greedy supermarket industry free to exploit both farmers and a public largely ignorant about food. It allows supermarkets to profitably sell junk at the expense of the consumer. Ask yourself how much Cheddar Cheese has any relationship to Cheddar. Or for that matter Olive Oil to an Olive tree. When did you last see a mature Seabass or Cod on a fish counter waiting to be portioned according to user needs.
Most of the deficiencies in our food industry can be laid at the door of government either as ignorance, incompetence or vindictiveness.