Should the UK ban imports of meat and eggs produced in ways that are illegal on British farms?
Imports of meat and eggs are not required to match British on-farm welfare rules. Conventional battery cages for hens have been illegal in the UK since 2012, yet eggs from such systems can still be imported and used in processed foods. In January 2026 the UK and devolved governments consulted on banning all hen cages by 2032, and farm groups warned this could increase imports. A UK-EU SPS deal, expected around 2027, may limit the UK's freedom to restrict imports unless it includes a welfare exemption.
40 Opinions
I would prefer it. The US food protection is not as good as ours. The EU 's food protection, is much better. Food protection is important for the health of the nation, if the standards are low, it could mean vulnerable people getting ill.
Yes it is animal cruelty and it would favour our own British farmers.
Our farmers should be given priority if they are welfare led. I’m sure there are some who may not be but I have the deepest respect for farmers doing their best while being strangled in red tape and undercut on prices by meat produced by inhumane methods. Mind you I would like to see halal slaughter stopped in this country as it seems remarkable that animals can be raised in the best conditions and then slaughtered in hideous conditions.
It just offshores the cruelty and massively undercuts British farmers who are forced to pay for higher welfare standards.
Not ban it, but require it to be labelled clearly for what it is. Low welfare meat.
We should go further than that by banning non stun slaughter here in the U.K. Where is the outrage from the animal charities such as the RSPCA?
Or impose massive tariffs on them, Trump style.
If rules are only imposed on the host market, then the entire market is skewed & corrupt & manifestly unfair. I see some use this question to advocate & justify joining the EU to solve this problem. More Remainer tosh; In many cases EU law was considerably inferior to protections that the UK developed over the years so that’s nonsense. It’s important to me that meat is produced in the best manner possible.
I'm not a vegan warrior, but I do believe all animals in the food chain wether for meat or by products should be treated well right up to and after the point of slaughter if for meat, a good life in fresh air, scrabbling around foraging is what hens should be doing, not caged, foods intensively farmed are of a lower standard and if imported who knows what they are being fed or if they carry disease.
Damn right we should and also ban that other import in animal production, Halal and Kosher!!