The domestic production of foie gras has been banned in the UK since 2007, but importing and selling it remains legal.
Prior to its 2024 general election victory, the Labour Party had pledged to ban foie gras products made by force-feeding ducks or geese from entering the UK market.
However, The Telegraph now reports that ministers have admitted they were unable to secure a special exemption for the French delicacy on animal welfare grounds.
The sticking point stems from EU rules, which stipulate that member states are not allowed to ban each other’s foods on the basis of animal welfare concerns. As such, if the UK wished to secure a trade deal with the bloc, it could not pick and choose which foods it allowed onto its market.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who is expected to step aside in the coming weeks in favour of former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, has been working to “reset” the UK’s relationship with Brussels in a bid to ease restrictions on cross-Channel food and drink trade through closer alignment with EU standards.
Speaking to Food Manufacture, The Animal Law Foundation’s executive director, Edie Bowles said: “The UK government will be aware that it can restrict imports on animal welfare grounds if the practice falls foul of domestic legislation, which the production of foie gras does.
“The government should take the necessary measures to ensure that the sale and import of products derived from cruel and unacceptable practices are banned, rather than undermine our animal welfare standards through trade deals.
She continued: “Further, the World Trade Organisation does not allow countries to act in a discriminatory manner in international trade, therefore it sets a dangerous precedent if the UK compromises our animal welfare standards in its Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU.”
As part of the proposed deal, British farmers are also set to be prevented from using certain pesticides banned in the EU, while the future growth of gene-edited crops could be called into question.
The government estimates that a new deal with the bloc could add up to £5.1 billion a year to the UK economy, as red tape on food and drink trade is reduced, and could potentially bring down supermarket prices.
Starmer had aimed to secure the deal at a summit in Brussels on 22 July, possibly marking one of his final significant acts in office.
