FOUR Oxfordshire MPs have helped overturn measures aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals. 

MPs yesterday voted 332 to 279, a majority of 53, to disagree with a House of Lords amendment to the Agriculture Bill which would have required food imported to the UK to meet domestic standards. 

Read more: coronavirus test centre worker rows with Youtuber 

Peers had made the change to block the import of foodstuffs produced abroad with lower animal welfare standards after warnings over chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef entering the UK market from the US. 

Oxford Mail:

Several Conservative MPs outlined their support for the Lords amendment.

But it was stripped from the Bill following a vote on Monday.  

Here are what the Oxfordshire MPs voted: 

Made with Flourish

The government argued that existing protections are already in place and they have no intention of watering them down. 

Environment minister and Banbury MP Victoria Prentis said the government will not change the law of the land in import standards 'under any circumstances'.

She told the Commons: “The fearmongering must stop tonight. We are not going to be importing chlorine-washed chicken or hormone-treated beef. That is the law of this land.

Read more: man stabbed multiple times in attempted murder 

“This Government is not going to change it under any circumstances and we have said very clearly that in all our trade negotiations, we will not compromise our high environmental protection, animal welfare or food standards.

“We have a range of tools to protect us, we have the existing regulation, we have parliamentary scrutiny which I detailed earlier, including the select committee which I for one think is significant.”

Ahead of the debate, a tractor demonstration took place in central London as farmers demanded food standards are upheld in post-Brexit trade deals.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood, reacting to the vote on food standards, said: “Tonight, the Government once again failed to make good their manifesto promise that they will not sell out the UK’s animal welfare for a quick trade deal.”