The standards of food and farming in the UK need to be maintained at current levels after Brexit, the managing director of one of Britain’s largest supermarket chains has said.

Speaking in Belfast on Tuesday, Waitrose managing director Rob Collins said that some in the UK government want the public to be able to purchase cheap food from third countries after Brexit. “When we are so good at farming in the UK, I ask myself how could that be a good idea?” Collins told the audience at Queen’s University.

Risk from cheap food

Although all retailers are keen to promote UK origin food at present, Collins said that there was a risk that cheap food with lower production standards would still make its way onto supermarket shelves if it was included as part of a post-Brexit trade deal. It remains one of the greatest risks from Brexit – that government allows in cheap food in return for a deal on financial services.

“If we brought in food with lower standards from other parts of the globe, that would have a very serious impact on UK agriculture which would change the face of our countryside,” he said.

In meetings with Defra Secretary Michael Gove, Collins said that he made the point that the wider economy, and not only the agriculture industry, would be impacted by cheap food imports. “If we drop our standards, that is a very, very slippery slope,” he suggested.

The Waitrose boss has lobbied government to maintain food safety and animal welfare standards in both UK farming and food imports after Brexit. He said he is also pressing for clear country-of-origin food labelling and continued financial support to UK farmers.

Competitive market

On the current UK retail market Collins described it as “brutally competitive and fast changing”.

He said that price reductions for consumers boosted sales at Waitrose last year, but operating profit dropped by 32%.

“What we are experiencing is a reset across the whole of the UK food sector.

‘‘That is fundamentally challenging for the long-term economics of UK food retailers,” he said.

Read more

Designing a fairer supply chain

Aldi tops compliance with supermarket code

Race to the bottom is over – M&S boss