UK Trade Strategy flags low-welfare farming in imports

The UK’s new Trade Strategy (2025–2029), released 25 June, marks an important shift in how animal welfare is treated in trade policy. 

The strategy raises concerns about imported products from farming systems banned in the UK - explicitly naming cruel production methods like sow stalls and battery cages.

In a section on product standards, the strategy states:

“We recognise concerns about methods of production, such as sow stalls and battery cages, which are not permitted in the UK. … We will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, we will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors including permanent quotas, exclusions and safeguards.”

This represents welcome progress on an issue Animal Policy International has been campaigning on. Right now, British law bans the use of sow stalls and barren battery cages on UK farms, but not the sale of imported products produced in those conditions. That’s a loophole we’re working to close.

The EU-UK Trade Agreement

The Government now has an immediate opportunity to demonstrate this commitment. While expressing concern about these production methods, it's simultaneously negotiating the Common Veterinary Agreement (CVA) with the EU. The current UK-EU Common Understanding could actually prevent the UK from implementing the very welfare-based restrictions the Trade Strategy acknowledges are needed.

The agreement establishes that any UK deviation from EU food standards must not "negatively affect European Union goods being placed on the market in the United Kingdom". If the government is serious about its commitment to address the "unfair advantage" of imports from banned systems, it should secure explicit protections in the CVA that preserve the UK's right to restrict animal product imports on animal welfare grounds.

This would also be particularly important given that 50% of UK pork imports come from EU countries where sow stalls remain legal, despite being banned in the UK since 1999. Without these protections, the CVA could lock in access for exactly the products the Trade Strategy identifies as problematic.

The new strategy doesn’t make a formal commitment to introducing import restrictions based on animal welfare. But this is a notable change in tone - and it reflects growing public support for applying the UK’s animal welfare standards to all products sold in our shops, regardless of origin.

The strategy is a clear foundation for decisive action. Rather than limiting this to trade deal negotiations, the government should introduce comprehensive legislation banning the sale of products from sow stalls and battery cages in the UK. This would close the loophole once and for all, regardless of country of origin, and align our trade with the values British people have already expressed through domestic legislation.

The strategy also includes a commitment to review how UK businesses operate in global supply chains, focusing on labour and environmental standards. While animal welfare isn’t explicitly mentioned in this context, it reflects a shift toward more ethical trade - one that strengthens the case for tackling cruel imports.

We’ll be watching closely to see how these words translate into action. In the meantime, it’s clear the argument for aligning trade with our values is gaining ground.

📖 Read the full Trade Strategy here.