Tag: Trade

Bishop of Exeter asks about animal welfare standards in international trade

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 17th April 2023:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the differences in environmental and animal welfare standards in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and the impact of these differences on British farmers, given the UK–Australia and UK–New Zealand free trade agreements.

Lord Benyon (Con): The Government has been clear that any access to UK markets agreed through trade agreements will be fair and reciprocal, taking into account sectoral sensitivities and differences in food production standards. For example, within the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement we secured the exclusion of pork, chicken and eggs from tariff liberalisation reflecting the importance of animal welfare to the UK and the level of trade between Australia and the UK on these products.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about trade with Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Sudan

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 20th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what is the value of UK direct imports and exports to:

  • Ethiopia
  • Eritrea
  • Sudan

Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con): The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the noble Lord Bishop’s Parliamentary Question of 30 January is attached.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about African Swine Fever

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 8th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with (1) the EU, and (2) other pork export markets, regarding regionalisation in the event of an African swine fever outbreak in the UK.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about trade with Somalia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 7th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what is the value of UK direct (1) imports, and (2) exports, to Somalia.

Baroness Penn (Con): HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website. From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about overseas meat trading

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 7th February 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government how much pork was (1) exported, and (2) imported, in the years (a) 2022, (b) 2021, (c) 2020, and (d) 2019.

Baroness Penn (Con): HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about government response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Somalia

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 31st January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Somalia regarding their involvement in China’s Belt and Road initiative.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con): China is a significant partner for many countries, including through the Belt and Road Initiative. The Somali Government pursues its international trading, development and political relations as it chooses. The UK’s focus is on working closely with the Somali Government to support its ambitious programme for a more stable and peaceful Somalia. This includes the provision of humanitarian relief and crucial support for the fight against Al-Shabaab.

Hansard

Bishop of St Albans asks about free-trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 26th January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the procedure and available time for the ratification of the Australia and New Zealand free trade agreement allows for sufficient parliamentary scrutiny.

Lord Johnson of Lainston (Con): The Government has committed to additional measures for new free trade agreements which go beyond our statutory scrutiny requirements.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of free-trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand on UK farming

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th January 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mitigate any damage caused to the UK farming sector by the free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand.

Lord Johnston of Lainston (Con): Farming is a crucial part of the UK economy, and this Government wants to ensure rural economies can thrive. Our free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand balance opportunities for UK exporters, importers and consumers with protections for the agricultural industry.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about agricultural exports

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 25th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the National Farmers Union Growing our agri-food exports to 2030 and beyond, published on 27 April, what plans they have to match Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board levy contribution funding to help grow British agricultural exports.

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Bishop of St Albans speaks in a debate on international agreements

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on the Working Practices – International Agreements Committee Report on 19th May 2022:

My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. Although I am not a member of this committee, I am very grateful for this report and enjoyed reading it, including its stress on the role of Parliament, not just in approving what has been decided but in the issues we are discussing now.

I found the previous speech very helpful. Why is there such reluctance to allow Parliament—both its Houses—to engage at a much earlier stage? This House is renowned for its extraordinary levels of experience, both in international diplomacy and negotiation and in the actual substance of many of the areas in which we are trying to get treaties and memoranda of understanding. Surely all it will do in the long run, if we can simply go ahead and give Parliament time, is to allow that experience to come out and be brought together. This is precisely what we should be doing.

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