TWO Cumbrian MPs pushed in the House of Commons this week for Government to report on how they are protecting animal welfare standards during future trade deals.

Speaking on the floor of the House of Commons during the debate on the Animal (Sentience) Bill lMPs Tim Farron and Dr Neil Hudson raised concerns that recent trade deals with Australia and New Zealand were unfair on British animals and farmers.

Mr Farron said: “Some 40 percent of beef in Australia involves the use of hormones that are not allowed in the United Kingdom.

“Cattle can be transported in Australia for up to 48 hours in the heat without food or water. These are clearly lower animal welfare standards. By signing these deals without real scrutiny, the Government have endorsed that cruelty and enabled it to prosper at our farmers’ expense.

“Lower standards are cheaper, so these deals give a competitive advantage to imported animal products that have reached market with poorer animal welfare, thus undermining British farmers who practise higher animal welfare standards.”

Dr Neil Hudson said: “We should say firmly that we will not undermine our fantastic British farmers, who farm to the highest animal health and welfare standards. In my constituency of Penrith and The Border, the Cumbrian farmers are right up there among the best of our British farmers, and we must not undermine those farmers in these trade deals.”

Rounding up the debate, Minister Jo Churchill MP said: “As my hon. Friend Dr Hudson pointed out, the understanding of sentience is always evolving, so we want to leave it to experts from the world of science and so on to define it. In short, the Bill has been carefully drafted to create a targeted, proportionate and timely accountability mechanism on animal welfare. It is designed to support the House’s scrutiny of Government, and I look forward to all those in the House making good use of it.”