Factory Farming – Steve Reed (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

 

Any planning or related permissions for factory farming enterprises must not in my view see any reduction in environmental, biodiversity, and pollution standards. As requested I have raised the concerns raised by many constituents with the right honourable Steve Reed.

The previous Conservative government failed to support British farmers, underfunding promised payments and mishandling the transition to new subsidy schemes. The Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate £1bn boost for the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs) to promote sustainable, profitable farming. This investment will help future-proof food production, support farmers adopting green practices, and reduce dependency on costly imports.

We will also:

• Ensure trade deals uphold high public health, environmental, and animal welfare standards.
• Work towards smoother trade with Europe by negotiating veterinary and plant health agreements.
• Strengthen the Groceries Code Adjudicator to protect supplies from lower-quality competition and protect consumers.
• Use public procurement to support sustainable, locally sourced food.
• Support farmers transitioning to greener practices while reducing pollution.

We also seek to embed animal sentience into British law to protect welfare standards and prevent unfair competition from lower-standard imports. For example, my Liberal Democrat MP colleague Helen Morgan raised these concerns in Parliament — https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2023-07-18/debates/C764932B-676B-4867-AC50-86BB73F28B2C/ComprehensiveAndProgressiveAgreementForTrans-PacificPartnership?highlight=cptpp#