British farming could be at risk by plans to ban cages for chickens and pigs unless imported meat is held to the same welfare standards, industry leaders have warned.
Ministers have proposed banning colony cages for laying hens and farrowing creates for sows under a flagship animal welfare strategy.
But farming groups fear domestic producers could be undercut by cheaper imports from countries such as Poland, Spain and Ireland, where the practices remain legal.
The European Union has pledged to phase out caged farming by 2027, but progress has been slow, adding to concerns over uneven competition.
Tom Bradshaw, the president of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “If the government proposes raising domestic animal welfare standards further it must also take steps to ensure consumers are protected from imported food that could be produced to lower standards, and that British farmers are not asked to compete with imports produced at those lower standards which would be illegal for them to work to.
“We have long called for a set of core standards for food imported into the UK; it must meet the same production standards as asked of our farmers. It is what the British people expect and it’s time a system of core standards was properly established in UK law.”