LONDON: A new report has claimed that the UK-India free trade agreement could lead to “toxic pesticides” used to grow Indian foods, harming UK consumers and Indian farmers may suffer losses to British farmers, jeopardizing the future of UK agriculture.
The report, “Toxic trade: How a trade deal with India threatens UK pesticide standards and farming”, claims the UK government to weaken domestic pesticide standards to secure access to the UK market for India India has a strong economic interest in applying pressure. food export.
“When a pesticide is banned for use in the UK, it is theoretically not allowed to appear in food, thereby restricting imports. As a result, the Indian agribusiness would gain a lot if the UK were to use the new has agreed to dilute its approach by approving harmful insecticides or removing existing restrictions,” the report said.
UK and India are negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA), which they aim to finish by Diwali.
“UK imports of Indian agri-food are currently very low, with the potential for large growth under the new trading regimes. Indian negotiators could focus on removing non-tariff barriers, which would almost certainly include pressure on the UK to facilitate Indian exports by allowing higher amounts of toxic pesticides in food. The increased risk to the health of UK consumers could be significant if the UK government succumbs to the demands of Indian negotiators,” the report said. It also claims that Indian farmers “will have a competitive advantage over UK producers” because they can work more cheaply using “harmful pesticides banned in the UK”.
India allows consumption of highly hazardous pesticides in larger quantities than the UK, with both apples and grapes allowed to contain the pesticide malathion 200 times higher than their UK counterparts, the report said.
A UK government spokesperson said: “We have strict statutory limits for pesticide residue levels on imported food and a robust program of monitoring. An FTA with India will not change this – products that do not meet our requirements will be Will not be allowed to enter the UK market. We will not expose UK farmers to unfair competition or compromise on our high standards.”
If UK negotiators encourage growth in Indian agri-food exports, UK diets could contribute to a further increase in pesticide-related damages in India, reports a Brighton-based charity Pesticide Action Network ,pan) UK, Sustain and Dr. Emily Lidgett, say.
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