Helen Morgan calls on Government to back British farmers in new trade deal

Helen Morgan has urged the Government to back British farmers in a new trade deal that risks allowing lower standard foreign eggs into the UK.

The CPTPP trade agreement allows eggs to be imported from countries using conventional battery cage systems that have been banned in Britain for more than a decade.

This means lower standard eggs could be imported from countries that rely on caged battery farms such as Mexico.

Industry leaders have warned this will undercut British egg producers who work to higher standards of animal welfare and food safety standards under the British Lion Code of Practice.

Helen, the Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, has now tabled a motion in Parliament calling on the Government to maintain high levels of hen welfare and food safety by listing eggs as a sensitive sector within the CPTPP agreement.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “The Government should be backing British farmers not undercutting them by signing trade deals that benefit Mexican battery farmers over local egg producers.

“I’m concerned at the idea of supermarket shelves being filled with low quality foreign imports at the expense of quality local produce and that’s why this trade deal needs changing.

“British egg producers produce eggs to an excellent standard compared to other countries across the world and these standards must be protected.”

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a free trade agreement between the 11 countries of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam.

The UK applied to join the agreement in 2021 and negotiations concluded earlier this year.