Luke Pollard, MP for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport, made a speech to Parliament in yesterday in favour of the amendments recently passed by the Lords which would protect British food standards and farmers from being undercut by trade deals.

The amendments passed by the Lords ultimately failed in the Commons, causing the Agriculture Bill to return to the Lords for peers to consider the disagreements the Commons outlined when voting against. Several Tory MPs voted for the Labour backed amendments, before they were defeated by 332 votes to 279.

Luke Pollard MP had this to say:

“Last night, Labour voted to back our farmers by putting our high food and farming standards into law. I do not want to see Britain become a country where our farmers are pushed out of their jobs by competition which undercuts the high British standards.

 

It may seem a long time ago, but less than a year ago the Conservatives made a manifesto pledge that looked to protect British farmers and standards. It is going in the opposite direction, where British farmers look to be undercut and out standards look to be lowered.”