The Conservative Environment Network has warned that Sir Keir Starmer's push for closer alignment with the European Union is harming British farming by delaying planned cuts to red tape. Proposals that would let farmers feed livestock with insects and human food waste — measures intended to reduce costs and free up farmland — have been postponed while the UK negotiates a new food and plants agreement with Brussels. The delay matters because it leaves in place rules that critics say are outdated and costly for the countryside.

The restrictions date back to the BSE crisis of more than 30 years ago and remain despite advances in animal testing and fewer than five cases in the past decade. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed after a consultation that it would ease the rules, but said this cannot happen while talks with the EU continue; Starmer's resignation and expected replacement by Andy Burnham could delay matters further. The report also cautions that a common sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal could bind the UK to EU gene-editing rules, hampering efforts to grow higher-yield crops. Currently, up to 40 per cent of UK arable farmland is used to grow animal feed with heavy pesticide use.