Trade and Agriculture Commission Call for Evidence invitation Oct 2020 - response from Agricultural Industries Confederation
Early in October 2020, the Trade and Agriculture Commission invited the AIC to submit its views to help shape its report on the UK’s future trade policies. The AIC’s response can found in the attachment at the bottom of this page.
Background
The Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) is an independent advisory board set up to advise and inform the Government’s trade policies.
Its members represent the agricultural, food production, retail, environment, animal welfare and consumer sectors.
The Commission is acting as an independent advisory board to the Secretary of State for International Trade, by producing a report which:
- considers the policies that the Government should adopt in free trade agreements to:
- secure opportunities for UK farmers
- ensure the sector remains competitive
- make sure that animal welfare and environmental standards in food production are not undermined
- reflects consumer interests and those of developing countries
- considers how the UK engages the WTO to build a coalition that helps advance higher animal welfare standards across the world
- develops trade policy that identifies and opens up new export opportunities for the UK agricultural industry – in particular for small and medium-sized businesses – and that benefits the UK economy as a whole
The Commission has set up three working groups on consumer interests, standards and competitiveness, to help inform its work. The AIC sits on the competitiveness group.
We will await to see the next steps, including the publication of the TAC’s final report.