Lewes Political Controversy Over Support For Farmers

Wednesday, 14 October 2020 13:36

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Lewes, from Firle Beacon, with Conservative Maria Caulfield MP and Liberal Democrat Cllr. James MacCleary

Lewes's Conservative MP is being accused by local LibDems of not protecting Sussex's farmers, by persuading fellow Tories to oppose a law protecting food and animal safety standards — but she says they were already protected by other rules.

LibDems, who came second to Ms. Caulfield in the 2019 General Election in Lewes, said the constituency's "large farming community" had become unhappy with their MP's decision to oppose an amendment to the Agriculture Bill intended to protect food standards after Brexit.

The amendment would have compelled any post-Brexit international trade deals to meet existing UK animal welfare and food safety standards.

But the proposal to change the Agriculture Bill fell, after the House of Commons voted it down — with the Lewes MP acting in her official role as one of the Conservative Party whips.

Maria Caulfield defended her decision to instruct other Conservatives to vote against the amendment, by claiming it was deliberately introduced to replicate an older law, with the intention of weakening the legislation for farming standards as a whole, thereby opening the government up to legal challenges.

In a public statement, the Lewes MP said:

"The opposition often use this as a tool to beat us with knowing we have to reject an amendment on technical terms.

"They then say we have voted against their proposals."

In the constituency, the Liberal Democrats' parliamentary spokesperson James MacCleary, suggested:

"There's never been a tougher time to be a farmer, and this latest betrayal shows how little this government cares about British agriculture and food safety.

"All that the Amendment asked was that the government make a firm commitment to upholding food and animal welfare standards in any trade deals after Brexit.

"This was a chance to back British farmers, instead Maria Caulfield and the Conservatives completely sold them out."