Don’t let India trade deal weaken UK pesticide standards

The UK Government is in the midst of negotiating a trade deal with India, which it hopes to agree this year.

While far from perfect, UK pesticide standards are stronger than India’s in terms of protecting human health and the environment. Indian food is generally allowed to contain much larger amounts of more toxic chemicals, and many pesticides that have banned in the UK due to the harm they cause remain in use.

With UK borders in a mess following EU exit, it is highly unlikely that we have the systems to stop Indian food exports containing illegally high levels of pesticides from ending up on UK shelves. The deal also risks devastating UK farming because Indian agribusiness is able to operate more cheaply using harmful pesticides banned in the UK, giving them a competitive advantage.

Email the Secretary of State for Business and Trade today to tell her to stand up for your health and the future of UK farming.

#toxictrade

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Dear Secretary of State for Business and Trade I am writing to you because I am deeply concerned that the UK-India trade deal will lead to a major rise in pesticides in my food and undermine our farmers. While far from perfect, our pesticide standards are some of the strongest in the world. This means that new trade deals risk weakening UK regulations designed to protect human health and the environment from pesticides, especially when they are with huge agricultural exporters like India.
I am particularly worried about the UK-India deal for a range of reasons including: 
<ul>
<li>India has a major ongoing problem with its food exports being rejected by importing countries because they contain illegally-high levels of pesticide residues.</li>
<li>The UK’s borders are in a state of flux due to EU exit and there is a major question over whether we have the systems in place to keep Indian food containing illegally high levels of pesticides off UK shelves.</li>
<li>The Indian Government is notorious for lobbying aggressively against international efforts to regulate pesticides. It has also repeatedly pushed for the EU to weaken its pesticide standards.</li>
<li>The deal threatens UK agriculture because Indian agribusiness is able to operate more cheaply using harmful pesticides that are banned in the UK, giving them a competitive advantage over UK producers.</li>
</ul>
I urge you to ensure that the UK-India FTA does not lead to any weakening of UK pesticide standards, threaten consumer health or undermine the future of UK farming. If you could let me know what actions you plan to take I would be hugely grateful. 
For more information (including a detailed set of recommendations) please see the report “<a href="https://www.pan-uk.org/toxic-trade-india" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toxic Trade India</a>”.

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