EU-Canada trade deal CETA is a major threat to UK food safety, a new report published by War on Want and allies in Europe and Canada has warned.
The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is a major trade deal negotiated in secret over five years between Canada and the European Union (EU).
Food Safety, Agriculture and Regulatory Cooperation in the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement , highlights the huge differences in food safety rules between Canada and the EU – which will lead to a reduction in standards in Europe. In addition to endangering public health through changes to food safety rules, the report highlights the threat posed to European farmers by Canadian agribusiness.
War on Want senior trade campaigner Mark Dearn said: “We cannot let our food safety rules or the livelihoods of European farmers be traded away for the sake of Canadian agribusiness profits. It is critical that the European Parliament stops this deal, which is opposed by more than 3.4 million people across Europe.
“For the UK this is of extra importance, as under CETA’s anti-democratic terms, we could still be open to being sued in corporate courts up to 20 years after leaving the EU. Chefs like Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall have rightly highlighted the immense threat posed to food safety by TTIP. CETA is no different – it must be immediately rejected.”
CETA is a ‘new generation’ trade deal similar to the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP): much like TTIP, it seeks to eradicate social, health and environmental protections which may harm corporate profits, lock-in the privatisation of public services and introduce an ‘corporate court’ system so corporations can sue governments for lost profits, says War on Want.
* Read the report Food Safety, Agriculture and Regulatory Cooperation in the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement here
* War on Want http://www.waronwant.org/
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