Environment Secretary George Eustice makes virtual Great Yorkshire Show address

However George Eustice, who was appointed to the role in February, added that the sale of such food is illegal “at the moment”.

The GYS, normally the region’s premier agriculture showcase, has this week taken place online because of the coronavirus.

On the last of three days, Mr Eustice yesterday appeared on a video broadcast, during which he spoke of challenges to the industry following the pandemic and answered questions posed by the Yorkshire Agriculture Society (YAS), which organises the GYS.

The Secretary of State was asked whether he would confirm that products produced to standards that are illegal in the UK will not be imported and undercut domestic producers.

The European Union (EU) banned chlorine washing of chicken in 1997, for example, because of food safety concerns.

Mr Eustice said: “It’s very important to note that the ban, for instance, on meats containing hormones, and indeed the ban on the use of things other than potable water [that which is safe to drink] - chlorine washes on poultry, for instance - there is a prohibition on the sale of those goods in the UK and that’s brought across as retained EU law and it won’t change. So those are illegal to sell in the UK at the moment.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs later confirmed that the ban would be “retained through the EU Withdrawal Act and enshrined in UK law at the end of the transition agreement.”

The new Environmental Land Management Scheme, due to be rolled out in 2024, is designed to ensure farmers will be paid for work that enhances the environment, such as tree planting.

The YAS asked when the budget for this will be set and Mr Eustice said a budget has been set for this Parliament’s agriculture. He added that the scheme needed to go further than merely compensating farmers for the costs of work carried out and provide incentives for them to make profits.

At the beginning of the video, he said: “As we come out of this virus I think there will be an increased appreciation of the importance of food production in this country, and the value of our key workers working in the food sector. This is coming up frequently as we take the Agriculture Bill through its remaining stages.”

He said that the bill - drafted to provide the legislative framework for support schemes to replace the EU’s common agricultural policy, which funds UK agriculture with £3.5bn a year - is about to complete its passage in the House of Lords.

Noting changes to the bill made since the last Parliament announced in January, including a statutory requirement for the Government to review food security every five years, he said: “Crucially, where we hope to be at the end of that seven-year [transition] period is with a new agriculture policy that delivers for our environment, delivers for animal welfare, and ensures that we have a prosperous and vibrant agriculture industry.”

More details about policies during the transition period would be set out in September, he said.