Farmers have expressed concern that agriculture could be undercut in a UK-US trade deal. As Prime Minister Theresa May met with newly elected U.S. president Donald Trump last week, they expressed fears that a deal could lead to an erosion of standards and undermine Britain’s farmers.

The UK government needs to secure new trade agreements, as the country is poised to exit the EU in as little as two years’ time. Trump has promised that the UK will be “front of the queue” for a new bilateral deal, but campaigners and politicians have warned that the UK is in an unenviable bargaining position, and UK producers would be likely to get a raw deal.

Last week, Professor ted Malloch, tipped to be Trump’s choice of ambassador to the EU, urged UK government officials to read Donald Trump’s 1987 book ‘The Art of the Deal’ before starting any trade negotiations with the U.S. “To understand how [his] mind works.” Prof. Malloch said, “It’s very different to a political mind.”

On a visit to Cornwall last week, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said a possible deal would pose “a threat to the family farm as we know it.”

Farmers have expressed concerns about the prospect of a deal opening them up to meat produced to lower standards. Beef is a particular area of concern; farmers in Britain face higher production costs, due to the economies of scale and less stringent environment and welfare regulations in the U.S. Consumer groups have expressed concerns about use of growth hormones in U.S. herds, the use of which has prevented most trade with the EU.

Ahead of May’s visit to the U.S. Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said the government should push for standards to be maintained, highlighting in particular the worrying signals the new administration is sending about its commitment to tackling climate change. Sauven said, "Theresa May is inviting Donald Trump to 'lead together' but she'll need to make sure that in the rush for a trade deal she doesn't end up becoming Trump's caddy. With so much at stake, the UK public will watch closely to see whether the prime minister is willing to stand up for the values, principles and laws that Britain holds dear.

"There are clear red lines Trump needs to hear from May, including our commitment to the Paris climate agreement, the need to move away from coal and to preserve the many environmental protections the UK enjoys. As a member of the EU, Britain has acquired laws that have cleaned up our beaches, banned harmful pesticides and protected consumers. The British public won't accept these vital safeguards being sacrificed on the altar of a US-UK trade agreement.”
 
On Monday, NFU director of strategy Martin Haworth said the union had reiterated its position in response to speculation about a trade deal. He said, “The NFU believes it would be wrong for imported food to be produced to different standards than those adhered to by British farmers.  We believe a fundamental principle of future trade negotiations should be to ensure a level playing field  for British farmers in order for them to be competitive, profitable and productive in the future.

"Trade is an important issue for the farming sector; new markets for British food across the globe could further farming’s contribution to the economy but we do not believe the British public would want our own farmers to be put at a competitive disadvantage by allowing the import of food produced to different standards and using methods which are not allowed in Britain.”